The Devoted Way
by YulianaHenderson
Summary: Prince Patrick and Princess Teresa are bound to marry each other, but they both don't want that. What happens when the two finally meet, and they suddenly don't hate arranged marriages? AU another time , slightly OOC sometimes, C3 M rated, Jisbon.
1. Chapter One

**A/N: I'm back! Yeah, I know, I've only been gone for about one week, but to me, it felt like ages :D.**

**So, first, I want to say that I hardly survived the Season Finale. If you haven't seen it yet, go ahead and watch it! I even allow you to watch it before reading this story :D.**

**This story just happened, like most of my stories. I've always been interested in History (the Middle Ages, that is :D) and combined with my love for Jisbon, this happened :D. A fair warning already: The characters might be OOC sometimes, but I tried my best to keep them IC. Decide for yourself :D.**

**So this story is AU, sometimes OOC, and in a further chapter, the rating's gonna be M. But I didn't want to change the entire rating just because one part of a chapter is M, so hence why this story is T :D.  
I think that were the warnings :D.  
**

**Oh, and a special thanks to Donnamour1969 for beta-ing this story, I love you :D. Check out her stories (especially 'Goldilocks and the Red Wizard', I got my inspiration from that story :D), she's great!  
**

**So that was about it! Now, enjoy this story, and don't forget to REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, everything belongs to their respectful owners.**

* * *

Once upon a time, in kingdoms far away from each other, there were two people.

One was a man. His name was Patrick, prince of Desmond, son to the great King Gale Bertram. Patrick was a tough man on the outside, but a sweet and warm man on the inside. His father wanted him to become a strong leader, but Patrick didn't feel he had it in him. He couldn't walk around the castle, harassing servants. He was really a loving man, had once been a loving husband and father. He'd married Angela years ago, just a normal girl from the village. They'd been young, only eighteen, but he couldn't wait any longer. They had a child a few months after they married, and she was given the name, Charlotte. They'd been happy, until the evil hooded villain, Red John killed Angela and Charlotte when Patrick was away. His father told him it was karma, for not marrying a noble.

And that was when his life became a miserable hell.

The other person in this tale was a woman. Her name was Teresa, Princess of Tara. She would have been heir to the throne if she didn't have three younger brothers. Now James, Prince of Tara, would become king.

Her father, King Virgil Minelli, loved her very much. Everything she wanted she would receive. But being princess wasn't exactly what she wanted. Her whole life, she'd been living in their castle, mostly alone. She had three younger brothers, whom she really loved, but most of time they played with each other. She wasn't supposed to associate with men, not even her own brothers. She lived in the solitude of her part of the castle, and that was all she would ever know.

Patrick and Teresa were different on many things, but they had one thing in common: they had to marry each other in order to save both their kingdoms.

It was destined since their births, now twenty-five years before. They'd both tried to avoid it as long as possible, not wanting to marry, because that would mean they would lose their freedom.

Besides, they'd never met each other, only heard stories about the person.

But King Bertram and King Minelli had been very clear: to get the two kingdoms together, to form a bigger kingdom that would one day be able to grow to a much bigger kingdom, their children had to marry each other, whether they liked it or not.

-YulianaHenderson-

"But father-"

King Minelli cut Teresa off by raising his hands.

"No, Teresa, no more words. It's late already, you're far beyond the marriageable age, and I don't want our family put in a bad light because my stubborn daughter doesn't want to get married. No is no," Minelli explained, clearly angry.

Teresa pouted, still kneeling in front of her father. That made the old man's face soften a bit. He brushed her cheek with his hand, and smiled a faint smile.

"I love you, Teresa, and you know I only want the best for you. Believe me, Duke Bertram isn't a harmful man, so I'm assuming Patrick isn't either. You will love him when you see him," he said, and gently pushed her away. She got up, placed a small kiss on his cheek, and walked away.

When she was sure she was out of Minelli's sight, she kicked the nearest flower she could find. Stupid life, nobody ever listened to her.

-YulianaHenderson-

A knock shook Patrick out of his reverie.

Every day since he last saw them, everyday in the past seven years, he thought of them.

Of his Angela, her blonde hair so full, so soft, it seemed almost surreal. She had sure been a treasure to him, since the first moment he'd met her in the village, he felt as if his heart was touched by an angel. And in some way, that was indeed the truth. She could dig into his body, ridding him of his heart and taking it with her.

That was exactly what she did when she died. A big part, if not his whole heart, was still in her hands, and she couldn't give it back because she wasn't here anymore to smile, to breathe on his lips and to take care of their precious gift, Charlotte.

And his Charlotte. How much he loved that girl, he couldn't describe. She reflected the perfect harmony between the rich and the poor, her chances of a great future small, but that was being compromised by her beautiful blue eyes, as blue as the oceans he once travelled to.

He had promised her, when she had been just four years, that he would take her to it. Charlotte was filled with joy, could not wait to go see all the wonders he told her about. Too bad she didn't get the chance to see them.

"Come in," Patrick said, and the door opened slowly. Patrick didn't need to look up to see it was his father.

"Patrick, my son, are you coming?" King Bertram asked, and Patrick nodded, absentmindedly. He didn't want to go, because today, he was going to meet his future wife, and he was terrified to death about that.

"Is everything okay?" Bertram asked. Patrick again just nodded.

His father sighed, and walked over to him to sit beside him.

"Are you scared?" Bertram asked.

"Of course I am. How can I know if this Teresa is really a nice lady? What if she's not, then I'm stuck to her."

"Yes, the possibility is great."

Patrick crossed his arms at this. No denial from his father that it couldn't happen, nothing.

"I need to tell you something, and I'm sure you don't want to hear it, but I'm telling you nonetheless. Our kingdom, kingdom Desmond, was once two smaller kingdoms, named Ulster and Oriel. To get these two together, there was only one way, and you might already have guessed it-"

"Two powerful people from both kingdoms had to marry to turn them into a bigger kingdom. I know."

"Yes. And these people were none other than my grandmother, princess Cedany of Ulster, and the Earl of Oriel, Earl Frederick. They didn't want to get married, especially not with each other, because they didn't know each other. But when they met, they fell in love head over heels, and they had five children. See, don't be afraid," Bertram said. He stood up and left the room.

Patrick sighed. Well, that as no encouragement at all. Five children, none as beautiful as Charlotte, he was sure of that.

-YulianaHenderson-

"Tess!" Maid Grace whispered from the castle.  
Teresa looked up, and smiled when she saw her.

"Grace. Nice to see you before I lose my freedom forever to get married to a complete stranger," Teresa said dryly. Grace sighed.

"I'm sorry, Tess, but I can't help you with that. But I just wanted to talk to you for now," Grace said, and sat down beside Teresa on the bench. Teresa continued to stare in front of her, stroking one of the flowers that grew there. It was quite a beautiful garden, even if it was the only thing Teresa saw in her life.

Grace had been outside the castle, if only to see the nuns she lived with, or her aunt, Yolanda.

She'd told Teresa that King Minelli was quite the loving man, and was very kind to his servants. She got paid not enough to buy a big house for her own, but it was enough to help her aunt. Teresa had always thought that Grace had a lot more freedom than she did, but it turned out that freedom wasn't a good thing sometimes. Freedom could get you killed. As long as you were in the safe surroundings of a castle nobody could do you harm.

Suddenly, Grace turned around to face Teresa, and hugged her.

"I like you, Teresa, though I'm not supposed to. You're my best friend, and I'll miss you when you're gone," she whispered. Teresa nodded, and hugged Grace back.

Her father always told her that they were superior, and they shouldn't become friends with servants.

But ever since they were just little girls, they'd been best friends.

Grace's mother died in childbed, and her father died a few years after from a long illness. She became an orphan when she was just five years old. The nuns at the monastery took her under their wings, and that was when Grace and Teresa first met each other. The nunnery wasn't that far away from the castle, and sometimes, Grace would sneak into the castle whenever she could. When she was twelve, the nuns could do nothing more for her, and decided to let her go, Then, she went to work for the king, and he was happy to have her. He was a noble man, and his sons were driving him mad. He hoped another girl could change them. He'd always loved children, and couldn't bear to leave this poor girl alone.

Officially, maids weren't supposed to wear noble clothing, but since Grace was the best friend of the princess herself, she received old dresses from Teresa. They sometimes looked funny on her, considering Teresa was shorter than Grace.

"What do you think? Will he like me?" Teresa asked, and Grace pulled away.

She smiled.

"I hope he does, or I will hit him in the face!" Grace exclaimed, making punching moves with her arms. Teresa chuckled. Grace was, just like Teresa, an adventurous girl. The only difference between them was that Grace could show that, and Teresa was supposed to follow protocol to be a proper princess.

"Watch out with that, or they might put you in the dungeons."

"Well, I hope not. Now, let's stop talking about me, and start talking about you! What dresses are you going to take with you?" Grace asked, and Teresa shrugged.

"This dress?" Teresa asked, and Grace motioned for her to stand up and show it.

"You should. I like that dress," Grace said. Teresa smiled.

"You can borrow my other dresses while I'm gone, Bonnie the Beautiful, because I don't need them then," Teresa said, and Grace laughed. She hugged Teresa again.

Being without Teresa for a long time would be hard, but she just hoped she would be able to do so.

-YulianaHenderson-

"Lisbon, are you ready, my dear?" King Minelli asked, knocking on the door.

His sons, James, Thomas and Michael, were already done for almost an hour, and were sitting in the carriage.

Of course his oldest child, and the only woman, had to take forever to get ready. She'd been in her room for almost three hours now with Grace, and it didn't sound like they were dressing. They were likely chatting about all sorts of other things.

He heard a groan, and soon after that the door opened, revealing a grumpy Teresa, already fully dressed, and Grace standing behind her.

"Stop calling me Lisbon, father," she muttered, turned around to give Grace a quick hug and then walked past her father.

Grace smiled, and bowed out of respect. Minelli waved it away.

"Your Highness, may I ask you why you keep calling Teresa, Lisbon?" she asked.

"Ah. Well, my dear Grace, that's an interesting story. A few years ago I went to the Kingdom of Portugal, to their great cities, like, for example, Lisbon. It was a beautiful city, especially their beaches, and-"

Grace smiled. She loved to hear stories about the King's travel stories. If she were rich enough, she would travel forever and never come back.

Sometimes, when she stopped thinking about how her parents had died, she imagined King Minelli to be her father. He was such a great man; she would die to have him as her father.

-YulianaHenderson-

When Teresa exited the castle, she saw the two carriages all ready to drive away. Their clothes were folded and put into trunks on the back of the first carriage, her father's.

Though they had their own carriage, all four of them insisted on sharing one, because this might be the last time they could do so.

"Ah, there she is! I knew it-three hours. Tom, you owe me," Michael said, at which Thomas slapped him on the arm.

"Ouch! You didn't need to do that!" Michael exclaimed, and hit him back. The little banter soon turned in a fight that James liked too much to stop.

Teresa opened the door, and pushed them away from each other.

"Stop it, both of you!" she exclaimed, and sat down beside James, rolling her eyes when Thomas and Michael shot a few glares at each other.

"Why did you two have to come with us? Father and James could have handled it," Teresa muttered. James looked at her sympathetically. He placed a hand on her knee, squeezing it gently.

James cared a lot about her, and when he heard that they were going to see Teresa's future husband, he was happy to come with her. Then her father wanted to join as well, to look after her and talk a bit with his old friend King Bertram. As always, her younger brothers didn't want to miss a thing and wanted to come.

Sometimes her brothers acted like toddlers. It wasn't that strange though. She was the oldest, with her twenty-five years, and then came James, twenty-three. He wasn't really childish, but Michael, twenty-one and Thomas, eighteen-they were children. Her father couldn't control them, she had to admit, and maybe that was why she did it for him. He was an old man, she could not forget that.

She presumed that was why her father didn't want to be in a carriage with these nitwits. She was a surrogate mother for them sometimes, though she couldn't help them with _everything_. She was a woman; how could she know anything about men, even when she lived with four of them?

She always had the feeling she could connect more with Grace than with her own family.

Just when they started to drive, Grace ran outside, enthusiastically waving at them. Teresa smiled. She placed kisses on her hand and waved them towards Grace, laughing and chuckling. The boys just groaned.

"Women...," James murmured, and Teresa shot him a death glare. He quickly looked outside, avoiding her gaze. The other two laughed.

"You're the first one to marry, of all of us. I thought I would be the one to fulfill that role," Michael said. His ego was great; too great for Teresa's liking.

She rolled her eyes.

"If I _do_ marry that Patrick, I hope he keeps me and that you have to leave," she hissed, but her tone sounded more teasing than mean.

Michael acted as if he was hurt, but smiled at her.

"Love you too, Reese," he said, and leaned over to plant a small kiss on her cheek.

-YulianaHenderson—

Patrick was led to the gate where Princess Teresa would arrive.

His father had told him how to behave with royals, though Patrick knew all about it. He had read about princes and princesses in books he got from his father, and it wasn't like they hadn't invited other royals over every once in a while. Patrick wanted to go to their castle; being out of this one would be a relief.

King Minelli was very clear: he insisted on coming to them. Maybe it was because he wanted to show off his carriages and beautiful daughter.

Patrick didn't know what to expect, though.

From here he had a great view of the willows that surrounded the castle.

In the fields, he saw two men, one tall one, and one shorter one, and obviously they didn't belong in the castle because Patrick had never seen them before. They were standing next to each other outside the castle.

Patrick waved at the two, but they shied away and left.

Patrick smiled, and continued to look at the road again. Not because he was excited to meet this Teresa, but because he simply didn't have anything to do for now. His father placed him here, to await his new bride. Bertram knew him very well. Patrick was just stubborn enough to secretly leave through the back doors, into the woods.

No, here was possibly the best place.

Patrick felt in his pockets, and grabbed the little drawing out of it.

It was a drawing he let somebody make from when Charlotte was only three years old. He felt he had to cherish her the way she was then, because he knew from stories and knew from experience from Angela that puberty could make a woman go crazy all of a sudden.

He decided not to flee into the woods, but await his future wife in the Great Hall. All this wind made his hair all messy and disheveled anyway.

-YulianaHenderson-

When they still had more than five hours to go, Teresa stopped both the carriages.

Her brothers were driving her mad with their stories about how they killed a rabbit the day before, so she decided to join her father. He was happy to; he felt lonely in his carriage, all on his own.

She stepped inside, and her father smiled at her.

He immediately reached out his hand for her, and she took it, as he pulled he pulled her into his arms.

She rested her head on his chest, feeling how his calm and steady breath made his chest rise. He kissed the top of her head, and she smiled. It had been a long time since he father had last done this, back when she was only twelve years old.

She had had a lonely life in the castle, since she was a girl and had to obey almost every male relative. But she didn't want that, because she didn't understand why she couldn't do what she wanted. She too wanted to run around, playing at being a knight, riding horses in the open field.

Instead, she was supposed to learn etiquette, how to dance, sing, walk, talk, sit and eat properly, how to please a man by obeying him. Her father wanted her to become a noble princess, but she didn't want that.

Of course, King Minelli had wanted her to marry at a very young age, but he saw that that was not what his daughter wanted. All he wanted was the best for her, his only daughter. She was more of a masculine woman at times, but she did have her feminine moments.

"You're not afraid, are you?" he suddenly asked. She looked up.

She straightened and sat on her side of the seat again.

She nodded.

"I am, father. But I'm grateful, I'm sure Patrick is a good man, and-"

"Teresa, I can see when you are lying."

She looked down at her lap.

"I don't want to marry yet, father, I'm not ready for it," she whispered.

He sighed.

"Yes, you are, my love. You are ready. I wish your mother were here to help you; she would know what to say."

She sat back, leaning her upper body against the back of the carriage, and sighed.

"I wished as well," she muttered, and closed her eyes.

_Teresa was dancing. Not dancing like she'd been taught, being graceful and limited at the same time._

_No, she was dancing, passionately. With a man._

_She looked up, wild blonde curls greeting her, meeting clear blue eyes._

_She didn't know who this mysterious man was, but she smiled. And she laughed._

_They continued the dance, taking soft steps. His hands were on the small of her back, and hers around his neck. And then the man bowed down, kissing her, and she startled when she felt her mouth opening for him, his tongue intruding into hers, playing a sinful game with her tongue._

_He pulled away, and looked into her eyes._

"_Teresa," a vague voice said. While she saw his lips moving, the voice didn't come from him; it sounded too far away._

"_Teresa," he whispered again, though the voice now sounded louder._

"_Teresa!"_

Teresa opened her eyes. Her father was squeezing her hand gently to wake her, and he smiled when he met her sleepy eyes.

"We're here."

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**A/N: SO! What do you think? It's awful, isn't it?**

**Oh, just some information about the kingdoms I've used: Yes, they were real kingdoms once, but I loved the names and I just wanted to use them :D.**

**About the thing from Lisbon, yeah, well, I wanted to use her last name as well, but since people in that age didn't really have last names, I decided to use it like that :D. I'm not gonna use Jane's last name, I'm afraid, but I love Patrick as well :D.**

**About the nicknames part (every character has its own version of Teresa's name): It's gonna be explained in the next chapter, don't worry :D. It serves a purpose, somehow :D.**

**And the title: I don't know, the title changed from 'The Fight of the Slaves', to 'When a duty becomes a want', and now it's 'The Devoted way', but I just can't seem to find a right title. I'll keep it at this one, if any of you knows a better title, you can let me know in a review (*wink wink*)!**

**Anyway, let me know what you think in a REVIEW, thank you!**


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: Okay, I'm sorry for the delay on this one! My amazing Beta-reader was out of the country and couldn't check my story up until June 2nd, hence why I post it now :D.**

**I hope you still know what the story is about, if not, re-read the first chapter (only the end) and you'll know it again :D. Thanks for adding this story to your alerts! (15 alerts only for the first chapter, I mean WOW! :D)  
It makes me feel like I write this story with a purpose :D.**

**Thanks again to Donnamour1969 for beta-ing. Check out her stories! :D**

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine.**

* * *

Patrick noticed that the family was almost there, by the way all the servants ran around frantically, trying to get the last things right before the royal presence expanded to seven people.

Patrick saw that his father calmly walked over to his throne in the Throne Hall. He decided to join him, and sat down in the throne next to him.

They had once had three thrones, for his father, for him, and for Angela. But after Angela's death, Patrick couldn't stand seeing the feminine throne on the other side of his father not being occupied, and asked if it could be removed. They removed it, and now, there were only two thrones.

There was a tray with steps at both sides of it. He had liked it as a child, running around, up and down from it. Now, it only meant he had to sit motionless and behave properly.

Patrick wondered what it would be like in the castle of King Minelli. There were five in their family-one King, one princess and three princes. Did they have five thrones?

The head maid, Madeleine, entered the Throne Hall, and motioned to the King that their visitors had arrived.

Then, the guards that stood on each side of the big doors moved to open them.

The other family entered, first King Minelli, then his sons. They reminded Patrick of himself, being forced to stand up straight and walk in the exact way all princes had to walk.

And then, princess Teresa entered the Throne Hall, and Patrick came to his feet.

He had to admit, she was by no means ugly.

She had raven colored hair, braided then tied into a bun, a bit of it hanging down from her head and at her neck. She was wearing a dark red dress, the kind of dress he had always seen on princesses, golden lines punctuating her stomach, the outsides of her breasts and her shoulders. The ends of the sleeves were wider, the fabric of a beautiful gold.

The dress went all the way to the floor, making the princess appear taller than she actually was.

She looked at him, and he looked away. For seven years, he'd avoided people's eyes, afraid that they would get to see how much pain he was in.

"Gale, how great to see you again!" King Minelli exclaimed, and King Bertram laughed, standing up from his throne. They were soon involved in an interesting chat about the lovely old times, when they were still young.

The rest of the group stood there awkwardly, listening to the conversation as if it were interesting.

James, after many minutes, coughed subtly, and the two stopped talking.

"Oh, thank you, James," King Minelli said, and then turned to Patrick.

"You must be Patrick. You've grown a lot since I last saw you, young man," Minelli said, and Patrick nodded, in thanks to the old man.

"Gale, these are my sons, James, Michael and Thomas," Minelli said, pointing to the three as he said their names.

"And this...This is Teresa." Teresa stepped from behind her brothers, reaching out her hand for Bertram to shake, and she bowed.

He smiled at how beautiful she was.

Then, he turned to his son, and motioned to greet Teresa as well. Patrick sighed, and shook Teresa's hand, all the while avoiding eye contact.

He didn't want to grow fond of her; he was afraid he would forget Angela. She was his only wife and always would be.

Teresa frowned when she noticed Patrick was avoiding her gaze.

Not that _she_ liked this, but she was taught proper manners when it came to introducing herself to other people. So she just bowed respectfully, not caring that he didn't bow back.

She returned to her father's side then, and hooked her arm in his.

He patted her arm gently, before smiling at Bertram again.

"Let's eat! I'm hungry!" he said, and rubbed his stomach.

The rest laughed, but Teresa looked at Patrick, noticing how he stood next to his father, clearly not amused by everything that was happening. She brushed it away, and King Bertram, Prince Patrick and their visitors went to the tables to eat.

After a lot of laughter from both kings, a few of King Bertram's knights joined at the table, at a respectful distance from all the nobles.

Teresa was bored. Being the only woman had always annoyed her and she couldn't get used to it. She already was thankful to King Bertram for accepting her at the table with the men, otherwise she had to eat alone. He liked her; she could see that. And she didn't dislike him either. Marrying Patrick would give her a nice father-in-law.

When she finished her meal, she excused herself from the table. She felt Patrick's eyes burning on her back, but she ignored it, deciding to explore the castle.

Teresa knew every bit of her castle; there wasn't a corner where she hadn't been. But here, it felt like she had to explore everything.

The castle wasn't as big as their castle, which wasn't strange since King Bertram and Prince Patrick were the only nobles here, and she lived with five other nobles, but it was still a beautiful castle.

When she reached the chapel, a happy feeling washed over her. She touched the cross on her necklace. Religion was very important to her, for it used to be the only thing she had. In between all the courtly etiquette and dancing lessons, she sneaked into the chapel to pray. Mostly, she prayed for her mother to come back.

Her mother loved to ride a horse outside the castle, in the woods. But after a ride, she became sick, the Black Death, and died within days. It was because of that Teresa and her brothers weren't allowed to ride their horses in the woods.

Teresa entered the chapel, and immediately saw two men sitting in the front row. They looked up, and when they saw the tiara on her head, they bowed.

She approached them.

"You are Princess Teresa of Tara," the taller one stated. She nodded.

"I am."

The two looked at each other.

She sat down on one of the benches, folded her hands, and started the prayer she always did when she was younger.

After a while, she felt the two men were still looking at her, and she sighed.

"Okay, what's wrong?" she asked, and the two looked at each other again.

"We've never seen a princess before," the shorter one deadpanned. Teresa smiled.

"No?"

"No."

"What are your names?"

The shorter one took a step towards her, and reached out his hand.

She took it.

"My name is Kimball, knight of King Bertram, and this is Wayne, he's a knight as well. Not a good one," he said, and the taller one's eyes widened.

Wayne shook his head in annoyance. He walked away, not even excusing himself.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, he's a bit confused," Kimball said, bowing down and leaving Teresa.

She laughed about the two, and continued the prayer she'd started a few moments before, now not to herself but aloud.

"_Mary, holy Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, _

_into thy hands and those of thy blessed Son now _

_and forever I commit myself, body, soul and spirit. _

_Lord deliver me from all evil, _

_from all sins and from all the temptations of the Devil _

_and keep me in all perils. _

_Sweet Lord Jesus defend me, _

_giving my body strength and my soul health, _

_enduring me with the will to do what is right, _

_and to live justly in this world, and not to fail. _

_Grant me remission of all my sins. _

_Lord, save me waking, save me sleeping-"_

"That I may sleep in peace and awake in Thee in the glory of paradise," somebody added, interrupting her.

She turned around, and saw that Prince Patrick had entered the chapel as well.

She sighed and turned to look at the statue of Mary in front of her.

He sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry I didn't act properly to you back in the Great Hall, but-"

"But what? I don't like this either, I just want to be home with my best friend Grace and not getting married at all. Believe me, I'm not ready for this, and-"

"You wouldn't understand why I'm acting like this."

"No?" Teresa asked, sarcastically.

He sighed. He looked at the statue too. His heart broke every time he saw that damned thing. A beautiful woman, holding her baby in her arms.

He stood and walked away, leaving a confused Teresa.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick re-entered the Great Hall, where King Minelli and King Bertram were still talking.

They looked up when they saw him.

"Is something wrong?" Patrick's father asked when he saw his expression. But Patrick waved it away.

He sat down next to James, who looked the oldest of the three young men. Maybe Patrick could have a little chat with him, find out what kind of woman Teresa was.

If he'd wanted to talk, which he really didn't.

After a long, silent, awkward moment (at least for Patrick) Teresa entered the room. She walked over to her father and kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Father," she said, then smiled at her brothers and left.

For some reason, Patrick had a strange feeling in his stomach.

-YulianaHenderson-

"Your Highness, my name is Summer and I'll be assisting you with everything you need help with in the next few days," a young woman said when she entered Teresa's room.

Teresa had been lying on her bed for half an hour, thinking about things.

She sat up straight, and looked at Summer. The girl was beautiful, but really young. Teresa estimated her to be around sixteen.

Teresa smiled at her. She knew she would do most of the things she normally did with Grace, like putting on her dress or doing her hair, alone, because she couldn't cope with getting help from such a young girl.

"Summer, I should already warn you that-"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I don't want to hear a thing about it. I signed on with King Bertram myself; it's my only way of surviving. Please, let me help you," Summer said.

Teresa smiled at the determination of this girl, and it was nice to hear a remark from a normal person. So she stood up, and walked towards Summer.

"Are you tired, Your Highness?"

"Yes, I am."

"Let me help you with your clothes," Summer stated, and Teresa turned around. Summer opened her dress, while Teresa stared at the wall.

"Do you know Prince Patrick?" Teresa suddenly asked, and Summer stopped for a moment, before continuing again.

"A bit. I don't have a close relationship with him, but we sometimes chat. He loves children. He is a sad man, really," Summer said, while loosening Teresa's dress and giving her the opportunity to let it slide to the floor.

"How well do _you_ know him, Your Highness?"

"Please, call me Teresa," Teresa said, and Summer smiled faintly, "and I don't know him at all. I have only heard stories."

"Really?" Summer asked, clearly surprised. Well, of course Teresa didn't know him; nobody knew Prince Patrick since he didn't let anyone.

"Really."

"Well, I can tell you some things about him. But let's first get you ready for the night's prayers," Summer said, and enthusiastically continued helping Teresa with her dress.

-YulianaHenderson-

"What did you just say, Tommy?" Michael asked.

Thomas looked up from the book he was reading.

He was the only one who liked reading, though he didn't want to admit it. But he felt as if reading was an important part of one's upbringing. He said he'd heard stories of bishops, even the pope, selling poor people 'tickets to heaven'. They were too stupid to know that everything the church did was bad, wasn't what God had wanted. They couldn't read, and especially not Latin, the language all the Bibles were written in. That had been many years ago, but Thomas didn't want that to happen to them as well.

He wanted to know what stood written in things, instead of letting somebody read it for them.

He shrugged.  
"Nothing."

He continued reading, but absent-mindedly.

There were only a few guest rooms, and since their father had to have a room for himself because he was a king, and Teresa had to get one for herself because she was the only woman, that meant that the three boys had to share two rooms. James had one bedroom for his own, so that meant that Thomas and Michael had to share one. Not that they minded, however.

Strong alliances had formed among the four children, leaving duos fighting against each other at times.

James and Teresa were the oldest, and the wisest, so they always worked together as one. James never let anyone hurt Teresa, for she was his "little sister" – even though she was older than him. Teresa, on the other hand, only teamed up with James because he was more mature than Thomas and Michael were, and because he rarely lost a game they played.

And then you had Mike and Tommy, the two immature ones. Not strange considering their age, but still annoying to their elders.

"You said something?"

Thomas shrugged.

"I don't think that this whole predestined marriage is going to end well. I don't believe that our Tessie is going to last that long with Patrick, taking in mind that she hates men with a big ego."

Michael laughed.  
"How can she love you then?" Michael teased.

"Not funny! What I'm trying to say is that this isn't going to work."

Michael didn't seem to doubt this.

He nodded.

"True."

"Are we going to do something about it?" Michael asked.

Thomas put down his book.

"What do you want to do?"

"Put them together in a room and let them speak alone," Michael offered, to which Thomas gave a mischievous smile.

"That sounds like an interesting idea, Brother."

-YulianaHenderson-

"Tessie!" Thomas' voice came yelling through the halls, and Teresa stopped.

She had many nicknames; almost everybody she knew had his or her own version of her name.

For Thomas, for example, she was _Tessie._ He didn't want to call her Teresa because that sounded too old. A nun in the chapel was called Teresa; he didn't want to call his sister, who was barely seven years older than him, that.

For Michael, she was _Reese._ The name had come from when Michael was younger, and he couldn't pronounce her name properly. It always sounded more like _Reese_ than _Teresa._

For James, she was _Tess._ Just a shorter version of Teresa, with which he teased her quite a lot, because _she_ was short.

But for her father, she was _Teresa._ Or _Lisbon._ Now that she thought about it, she hardly ever called her brothers by their actual given names either. Her brothers were not James, Michael and Thomas to her, they were Jamie, Mike and Tommy to her. And she had the feeling it would stay like that forever.

Teresa wasn't in a hurry, though she was walking quite fast. She didn't even know where she was going.

"Yes, Tommy?"

"I... I saw something, in the garden here. I think you might enjoy it," he said. She sighed, and followed him outside.

Much to her surprise, and displeasure, Prince Ignorant himself was there as well. She moved to get back inside immediately, but Thomas was quicker, and before she knew it, she was alone in the garden with the prince.

They stood there awkwardly, before Patrick motioned to the bench placed nearby. It wasn't until she was sitting that he sat down as well.

"We don't seem to like each other very much, do we?" she asked after a long silence. He shook his head.

"I believe we don't, no."

And then they were silent again.

"Tell me about your wife and daughter. Don't fret, I don't own magic powers of some sort; one of the maids told me."

"Summer?" he asked, and when she nodded, he grinned.

"I need to make that girl stop talking. What do you know?" he asked.

She sighed.

"Only that they were murdered," she said, and still, after all these years, the truth hit Patrick just a bit too hard.

She saw, and her eyes immediately showed sympathy. He shook his head.

"Don't...Don't worry... It's just...It still hurts," he said, and stood up. "Walk with me."

He reached out his hand, gently pulling her to her feet, and walked with her inside the castle.

"I met my former wife, Angela, when I was travelling. I met her in town. I took her with me, but, without the permission of my father, we couldn't get married. We just stayed together. My father hoped that I would eventually change my mind and marry whom I was supposed to marry-you. Because we weren't married, Charlotte, our daughter, wasn't being treated like a princess; she was a normal girl just like Angela. They would never become queens, not even princesses. But I loved them very much. Charlotte's future was not bright; she would eventually get killed by people that didn't agree with me. But I hadn't figured it would happen that quickly. When she had only been five years, the evil man Red John killed Angela and Charlotte, out of revenge for not sticking to our beliefs. If Angela and I were married, I wouldn't have to marry you," he said, causing her to shoot him an angry glare. "Nothing personal. It's just... the loss of people you love is heavy to bear, sometimes. But you wouldn't understand."

"No? My mother died when I was twelve-the Black Death. She likely got it from a ride in the woods. My father has forbidden us to go into the woods ever since, and since then, I've never been in the woods again. My father is the perfect example of how losing a loved one can pain you, and it has affected me as well. Because I can remember our mother, I am saddened every time I see little children with their mothers, or women with dark hair. Believe me, I know what you're going through," she stated. He stopped walking.

"That's not very useful, letting two heavily scarred persons marry each other," he said, dryly, and she laughed.

The sound warmed his heart in this alien way, this feeling he hadn't felt in a while.

He smiled, and started walking again.

"This Grace you talked about earlier-what kind of woman is she? Because we have two nitwit knights who can use some proper fun, I believe."

Teresa laughed.

"Ah, you mean Knights Wayne and Kimball?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Yes, those two."

"Well, they could come with me and my family when we go back," she said, and he smiled.

"That's settled then." They both laughed and walked into the Great Hall.

-YulianaHenderson-

Summer was just cleaning up when she heard a knock on the door. She immediately ran to open it, and was greeted by Kimball's blank face. He walked inside, closed the door behind him, and pushed Summer against the wall.

When he saw that Summer was dumbfounded at this sudden move of indecent intent, he laughed. He kissed her for a brief moment, before pulling away slightly, and brushed a hand across her cheek.

"You okay?" he asked. She nodded.

"Great," he said, and was about to walk away when Summer grabbed his arm.

"Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Start something that you're not gonna continue," she said, approaching him seductively.

"But-"

"Shh, my knight in shining armor; don't talk," she said, laying down on the bed and pulling Kimball with her.

* * *

**A/N: Chummer! :D I know that Summer isn't in the show anymore, but I can dream, right? I loved Chummer so much, I was literally crying when Summer left the show. Really, do they HAVE to destroy our ships every freaking time?  
Oh well, next chapter is gonna be M-rated! A bit of it, actually, not the entire chapter, lol :D. I know that it might be a bit fast for them (I have the feeling you already know for who the M-rated part is, right? Our favorite characters :D), but I mean: Come on. This story is AU, I don't care that Jane is scarred in this one :D. Lisbon is really beautiful and sweet and I just don't want her to wait for 8 years in this story as well. She deserves a chance, you know?**

**Let me know what you think in a REVIEW, thank you! :D**


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N: Well, thank God I have an amazing Beta, because seriously, I wouldn't have posted this chapter otherwise (it was full of mistakes and all). But thanks, Donnamour1969 for checking it for me!**

**The waiting for Season 5 is too long. I think I'm gonna kill myself when I've finished all my In Progress stories.  
Oh, speaking of which, 'Daydreams and troubles' and 'Breathless' might have a slight delay (understatement of the year, really), but that's because I'm a bit... tired of things right now. Nothing for you to worry about, it's all my fault, so don't blame yourself :D. I'll finish these stories when this story is done, and I'm afraid that might take a while. Hold on just a little longer!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing here is mine. It's never been mine and it will never be mine. Unfortunately.**

* * *

Summer was brushing Teresa's hair. Not that Teresa couldn't do that herself, she just wanted the company. Some feminine conversation, considering she was surrounded by men almost always. And since Summer loved to make Teresa even more beautiful than she already was, she was happy to help her.

Besides, Teresa didn't have anything to do otherwise; still another two hours until they had to retire to bed.

Teresa never had trouble becoming good friends with maids, although, Grace hadn't been a maid, at first.

"Summer, may I ask how old you are?"

She saw Summer cringing a bit at this question, but she immediately regained her composure.

"I'm sixteen."

"And are you in love?" Teresa asked. Summer stopped brushing Teresa's hair.

"Yes."

A big grin appeared on Teresa's face.

"Do I know him?" Teresa asked, but Summer shied away.

"Come on, Summer, it's just me. You can trust me, I'm not going to kill him if I know him," Teresa teased, and Summer chuckled.

Teresa turned around in her chair and looked at Summer.

"What's his name?"

Summer chuckled.

"I don't know if you know him," she said. "His name is Kimball, knight of Bertram."

Teresa's eyes widened.

"Really?" Teresa exclaimed, and they both burst into laughing.

A knock on the door made them both stop. Teresa motioned to Summer to open it, while she quickly put a dress on to hide her undergarments.

When Summer opened the door, King Minelli smiled at her. She bowed, and let him enter.

Summer left the room, and Minelli walked over to Teresa. She was standing in front of her bed.

He smiled, and took her in his arms.

"Do you start to like it here?" he asked, walking over to one of the chairs in her room. She followed him, kneeling in front of him.

She shrugged.

"And what about Prince Patrick?" he asked, narrowing his eyes until they were almost little lines, but a smile on his lips betrayed him.

She sighed.

"He's... rude, selfish, disrespectful, and-"

"And what? You like him?" he teased. She gently slapped his knee with her hand. He grabbed it, and kissed the top of it.

"I talked with Gale. If you two really don't like each other, we can arrange something with other kingdoms. But that's only if you two are ready to smash each other's heads in," he teased again, and she huffed.

"I'm sure that is going to happen," she muttered. He lifted her head to make her looking up into his eyes.

"Teresa, give it a chance, please. Do it for me then," he whispered. He was deadly serious now, and always when he acted serious, she couldn't deny him.

She nodded, slowly. He kissed her forehead.

"Now, go and have some fun with that maid, but don't you dare replace Grace!" he said. She chuckled.

"I wouldn't let that happen, father," she said, and he smiled.

"Great. Because I like Grace, she's like-"

"I know, the daughter you never had," she said. He pointed at her.

"Exactly," he stated, and left the room. Teresa lay down on her bed, still laughing.

She was used to the fact that her father didn't really see her as a daughter. Hell, she was a tomboy. Sometimes she even had the feeling she was a man in the wrong body.

Maybe she just wanted to be a man. Men's lives were a lot less difficult. They got to do more things than women.

Suddenly, a thought struck in her mind. Would Patrick like her? Or would he reject her as soon as he came to know her better?

And why was she even thinking this?

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick and Teresa were sitting in front of each other at the table in the Great Hall. They occasionally looked at each other, faintly smiling.

And for some reason, Patrick felt strange. Light-headed. Happy.

It had been a long time since he'd teased a woman like that.

Maybe he did like her, a bit too much.

He saw her looking at her father, then her brother, and then him again. And he held her gaze, all but drowning in those beautiful, emerald eyes of hers. He saw a faint flickering in there, and his breath caught in his throat.

He suddenly felt a hand at his side, which made him reluctantly look away from her.

When he turned, he saw James sitting next to him.

"I want to talk to you for a moment," he whispered in his ear, and Patrick nodded.

He looked at Teresa again, but she was suddenly involved in a chat with her youngest brother, Tommy. He sighed, and followed James outside the Great Hall.

"I can see you're enjoying your time with Teresa a lot, but I swear to God, if you ever hurt her, _I_will hurt _you_," James threatened.

Patrick raised his hands in self-defense.

"Trust me, I would never want to hurt your sister," he said.

James smiled.

"Good. That's all I wanted to say," James said, and went into the Great Hall again. Patrick rolled his eyes. Was the entire family that feisty?  
Patrick sat down in front of Teresa again. She smiled at him.

And then Patrick knew it. He couldn't keep his promise to Angela forever, couldn't keep his lonely heart from never loving a woman again. The last years had been a lie. He couldn't lie to himself like that.

He had fallen for Teresa. Hard. And the fact that he'd only known her for one day made the fall surprising and painful.

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa saw a wide range of emotions crossing Patrick's eyes. Those beautiful, deep blue eyes, as blue as the seas. What was he thinking about?

"Tell me, Prince Patrick, to which beautiful kingdoms have you once been?" Teresa asked.

Patrick smiled at her.

"Well, dear Princess Teresa, I have been to many kingdoms. For example, I am happy to be able to add the kingdoms of Waterford and Bregna to that long list. As well as Osraige-the ladies there were quite extraordinary."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, they were. They were nice, polite, but also beautiful and feminine," he said, well aware that most of those words did not fit Teresa one bit. He saw that she was aware of that as well.

She shot him a teasing glare, before excusing herself and leaving the Great Hall. He followed her almost immediately, feeling like a puppy obeying his master. But this chat was just too nice; he couldn't let it end.

"So, Princess Teresa, what do you think about me?" he asked, which startled her. She stopped walking and turned around.

"Oh, uhm...Well...I believe you are selfish, disrespectful, completely immature and utterly mean," she said, a hint of playfulness in her voice. He approached her, slowly.

"And when do we get to the bad stuff?" he asked. She smiled, a bright smile that made his heart melt. He immediately bowed down and kissed her.

She complied, swinging her arms around his neck and moving in closer to deepen the kiss.

He smiled against her mouth.

His hands went to her neck, and pulled at her hair to change the angle of her head. He could get more of her this way.

But as suddenly as the kiss had started, it stopped. The two looked at each other, their faces flushed with lust and passion.

How could they have fallen like this? They hardly knew each other.

Besides, they always told their parents that they wouldn't love the other, would stay alone forever because they didn't want to live a slave's life, being married off to random strangers.

But all of a sudden wanted to feel like slaves, for they could be together if they were.

Teresa felt strange. She had never felt such a connection with a stranger before. And it felt marvelous.

She smiled at him, and walked away. He looked after her, noticing how she put a slight sway to her hips-the little minx- before returning to the Great Hall again.

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa collapsed on her bed.

Today had been the best day of her life, but also the most confusing. This morning, she could've killed Patrick, if only because she was doomed to marry that bastard. She could still remember how they'd been standing in the garden, awkwardness almost killing them both.

And then, she'd kissed him, and wanted nothing else than to kiss him again, feel his hot, strong body against hers.

How could this have happened?

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick sat on his throne. He was bored, as always.

Teresa entered the room as well. She smiled at him, but he was lost in thought. She sat down on the edge of one of the tables in the room, her back turned to him.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"Nothing, really. Just...I...Nothing," he said.

Teresa felt like he was thinking about his wife and child. Maybe he even regretted their kiss. She didn't want to think that way, but it could be possible.

"You're thinking about them, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"I'm sorry, if you don't want to be with me, just say it, but I-"

"Teresa, I wouldn't want anything other than to be with you. Believe me. I would love to get to know you. But it still hurts, especially at moments like our kiss. Though I was supposed to be ready for this all my life, I don't think I am yet."

She swallowed.

"Yes. I'm not ready either," she whispered. Though she knew full well that she was more ready than ever.

She admitted that she'd thought that marrying Patrick would be a living hell, but now that she knew him a bit, she didn't find it that bad. Of course, she still was angry at her father sometimes for making her do this, for not letting her marry whomever she wanted to marry.

When she was eighteen, she'd had a short affair with one of the knights, Samuel, but she wasn't supposed to, so no one talked about it. Everybody knew about it, though. A few years later, she'd seen Walter, a man from the village, but he wasn't the one either. Teresa had been happy with him for a moment, and had even considered marrying him. But her father was very clear-she had to marry Prince Patrick, and that was the end of it. Her love life had been nonexistent since then.

Traditionally, she was still a virgin. Or, that's what her father thought. After all, she'd slept with Samuel. And Walter.

A hand on her shoulder pulled her out of her reverie. She turned around, and saw that Patrick was standing behind her.

She looked into his eyes. She saw pain there-a lot of pain. She felt it deep inside herself. But she also saw admiration there.

"Let's walk a bit," he whispered, and she nodded. He pulled her onto her feet, and their faces were suddenly mere inches apart. He stroked her cheek for a second. Then they went outside, their hands linked.

-YulianaHenderson-

"So, Gale, we're leaving today," King Minelli said, while he and his good friend, King Bertram, walked through the halls of the castle. Both of them never seemed to be able to stop talking, and neither wanted to stop. They had a lot to catch up on.

Bertram nodded.

"Yes. I hope Patrick and Teresa can get along. Speaking of which, where could those two be? I haven't seen them since this morning," Bertram said.

A big smile appeared on Minelli's face.

"I wouldn't worry about them; I'm sure they're fine. They have each other," Minelli said. Bertram seemed to think about this one, but then his eyes widened at the realization of what they could be doing together.

"Oh," he said simply, but awkwardly, and Bertram laughed. Minelli wasn't really pleased with this insight, but he trusted Teresa to stick to her beliefs. He didn't want her to have pre-marital sex. He waved it away, and followed Bertram.

-YulianaHenderson-

A chill ran down Teresa's spine as she saw where Patrick was leading her: the woods.

She shook her head.  
"No, I don't want to go there," she whispered. He squeezed her hand.

"Teresa, promise me you won't get sick of the woods," he replied.

To encourage her more, his hand went up, to rest on her right shoulder, then on her left, so that his arm was completely wrapped around her.

She took in a deep breath.

She'd sworn to herself she would never go the woods again, since what happened with her mother. But she had the feeling Patrick would protect her against the evil that lurked in the wood.

She took in a deep breath, and he continued walking.  
With every sudden sound, she tried to see where it came from. And Patrick, surprisingly, found it charming. She was cautious-that was a good thing-but maybe she was a bit _too_ cautious.

He suddenly thought of how he could make her relax. Yes, he knew exactly how to make her feel calm and relaxed.

When they arrived at a field covered with beautiful flowers of all colors, Patrick looked at Teresa. She obviously loved to be outside, to see all the wonders the earth could show her. He could see it in her eyes. He picked a flower, a white one that looked lovely with her green dress and placed it in her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear as he did so.

She blushed. Butterflies started to dance inside his stomach.

_God, this woman was the devil._

He'd sworn to himself that he would never love again. His heart belonged to Angela forever. He would live in celibacy for the rest of his life.

But at the same time he'd sworn it, he knew that it could never be true. He was only nineteen when Angela and Charlotte had died, and though he knew he couldn't live forever, he also knew that 'for the rest of his life' was a bit too long.

And this woman had completely shown him how to fall in love again.

He brushed her cheek with his thumb, and she moved into his touch, which moved from her cheek, to her nose, to her mouth, and then to her neck.

She shuddered. He took her in his arms, and brought their lips together. She went through his curls with her hands, tugging at them. His touch went all the way down to the small of her back, and then to her bottom. She gasped in his mouth, and he smiled.

"Teresa, I love you. And not because we _have_ to get married, but because I really, truly do. You make me feel things I never thought I'd feel again. But I do now, thanks to you," he whispered, and she smiled softly.

She suddenly ran away, which startled him. Was she rejecting him?  
But when he heard that she was laughing, he growled. She was playing with him. _The little minx._

He started running after her, joy filling his entire body. He'd thought he'd never feel so happy again; the last sad years were completely forgotten.

She stopped, but he hadn't seen it coming, so he ran past her.

She chuckled, grabbing his arms, and started dancing with him.

God, he loved that smile, her laughter.

They danced together, reveling in each other's company, when Teresa–- accidently or on purpose, he wasn't sure-–tripped, pulling him down with her.

They lay among the flowers; nobody could see them.

He immediately was beside her, kissing her passionately, pulling her against him.

She pulled him in closer, as closely as possible, and he laid down on top of her. She welcomed his weight, breathlessly pushing her down into the ground, but she didn't mind. They pulled apart, and he nibbled her ear.

"Teresa, if I hurt you or if you don't want this, please tell me, because I won't stop otherwise," he whispered in her ear.

"I partly started this. If I hadn't wanted to do this, I wouldn't have started it," she said. He smiled.

He began undoing her dress. He noticed it was indeed a much more comfortable dress than usual. She'd hoped for this, dressed for it. He smiled again. She was truly the devil. He would never survive her if they got married.

He pulled her body up, pulling the dress over her head, leaving her in only her undergarments, which she shed pretty quickly as well.

Soon, she was laying naked among the flowers. He took a moment to look at her. She was truly beautiful, not only on the inside. Sure, she was tinier than Angela had been, but he completely blamed the corsets and uncomfortable dresses she'd worn her entire life, purposely reshaping her to make her look like a princess should look.

He saw she had a few scars on some parts of her body. She smiled sheepishly.

"Three brothers," she said simply, and he laughed. He knew from the beginning she wasn't a true princess. She was a tomboy, not feminine at all at some moments. She had her feminine moments, but they were quite rare.

"I assumed," he replied, and continued adoring her body.

Though she didn't act like a woman, she still looked like one. She couldn't hide that. Her unnaturally small waist he could easily span with his hands. Her hips too were small, her legs thin. The only thing that surprised him were her breasts, surprisingly full, compared to the rest of her body. Not out of proportion, just large enough.

He quickly pulled off his offending clothes as well, and hovered on top of her when he was completely naked, leaning on his forearms to prevent his entire weight from crushing her.

He looked into her eyes, and they seemed to be exchanging the same thought: They were lost, but damned if they didn't want this.

Her hands went into his curls. She'd already developed an unhealthy obsession with them. Her hands were shaking and her entire frame was trembling.

"What's wrong?" he quickly asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing, just-"

"You're a virgin?" he asked, and she blushed. She shook her head, though.

"No, not at all. It's just... Never mind."

He kissed her then, passionately. He decided to take this slow, making this as comfortable as possible for her.

He kissed her throat, then moved to her cleavage, her stomach, and then even further down.

She gasped, but didn't stop him. He placed a few kisses there, his fingers finding the place as well, and it didn't take long before she cried out his name.

He moved up to her face again.

"I'm serious, if I'm hurting you, tell me," he managed to say between kisses.

"Please, just do this," she groaned, and he did, entering her.

She groaned, struggling to accommodate his size. But she managed-how was a miracle to her.

Teresa saw stars when Patrick started to thrust.

He kissed her again, heavily panting. He pulled away slightly, only to catch his breath again, which seemed impossible while he was inside Teresa.

He felt pleasure building up inside him, and he thrust harder, sending her into another orgasm. She wrapped her legs around his waist to get more of his thrusts, changing the angle of her hips until she came again. She whispered his name as he fell over the edge as well.

The feeling was strange to Teresa, but it was even strange to Patrick. Yes, he'd been with Angela, but they'd only lain together once.

Teresa and Patrick had shared the ultimate sign of love. He was still inside her, and reluctantly moved off of her to lay next to her. He pulled her against his body tightly, for he was afraid he would lose her.

Patrick showered her head with butterfly kisses, while she did the same on his chest.

He reached out around him, never letting Teresa go, and gathered some of the flowers growing there. He wove a colorful rope through her hair with them. He knew how to do this because he could still remember going to the forests with Charlotte and doing the same for her.

She buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"I never imagined that I'd ever do this again," Patrick whispered. He felt her smile.

She was completely speechless, and tired to her bones. Her feelings were on display, open for him to read, watch, and react to them. She wasn't used to it.

How was she going to be able to let this man go at the end of her visit?

* * *

**A/N: Oe, wow, so... I forgot to mention in the first Author's Note that the last part of this chapter was gonna be M-rated... Oh well, you figured out yourself, right? Great!**

**I'm not really sure about this chapter, so if you could just... REVIEW, thank you! I need reviews, sorry, but I live on them. So, can you give me some reviews, pretty please?**


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N: Ahaha, this is getting funny :D. Sorry, I just finished the (presumably) last chapter of this story, it's the ninth chapter, and I realized how less you know and how much I know :D. I don't know, it's funny :D.**

**Okay, so a few people asked me if I was going to keep it like this, this whole love story between Patrick and Teresa, but sadly, my answer has to be a 'no'. After all, we still have Red John, haven't we?**

**Just read this chapter! It's an awful lot of hurt/comfort and maybe even a bit Angst (though not that present), so I felt bad myself when I re-read it, but please, try it :D. It may be a lot OOC, but come on, people change, don't they?**

**Thanks again to my lovely Beta-reader, Donnamour1969! Thanks to her, this story is this awesome, trust me :D.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.**

* * *

King Minelli watched as his sons talked. The only one missing was his daughter, and he hoped that she'd done what he thought she'd done, because he didn't want her to live a miserable life. She was his only daughter, and he loved her very much.

Sometimes, though, she reminded him of her mother, and he would feel sad for a moment. But whenever Teresa smiled his sadness would subside, and he would only think about the happy times.

Minelli knew that the forced marriage with Prince Patrick was something she really didn't want. He hoped Patrick would change her mind.

Since their kingdom, Tara, was in a crisis, faraway kingdoms were ready to come and destroy every living thing. Minelli had hoped that by letting his daughter marry the son of King Bertram, he could find peace with them.

Desmond was a strong and powerful kingdom; every other nation was afraid of it. It would be the perfect partner to form an alliance with. Teresa mustn't ruin this for them, although Minelli admitted that it wasn't entirely in her hands – the safety of their people was still at stake.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick and Teresa arrived back at the castle, their hands linked. They seemed very happy, laughing about unimportant things. The Three Musketeers – Thomas, Michael and James – saw, and ran over to them.

The two startled when they saw Teresa's brothers, and Patrick put Teresa down on her own feet again.

"Did you enjoy your little walk?" Thomas immediately asked, but Michael hit his arm.

"Tommy!" he hissed, and looked at Teresa and Patrick again.

"You look... pretty," James said, motioning to the flowers in her hair. She blushed and looked at Patrick.

"Wait, did you...," Michael started, but Patrick pulled her with him into the castle. She waved to her brothers.

The three were dumbfounded.

"What happened? What did we miss?" Michael asked, and the other two just shrugged.

"I don't know how, but they are obviously in love with each other," James said, simply, and the other two smiled.

"Great, means we'll get a wedding in no time. Food!" Thomas exclaimed.

James rolled his eyes.

"Food's the only thing you can think about, isn't it?" Michael asked. Thomas smiled.

"No...," he said, innocently, and they laughed.

"Speaking of which, dinner's about to begin," Thomas said, and ran inside.

"His wife is going to be a pig," Michael whispered to James, and they burst into laughter.

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa walked into her room, and saw Summer already awaiting her.

"Wonderful! I have been waiting for you! Dinner is starting, and you can't attend in that dress," Summer shrieked, and Teresa laughed.

She ran over to Summer and hugged her. Summer looked surprised.

"What's wrong?"

"Patrick!" Teresa exclaimed, and danced around, before collapsing on her bed.

"What's about the Prince?" Summer asked, though of course she knew what was wrong.

"Summer, I believe I'm in love," Teresa said, and Summer gasped. She joined Teresa on the bed, folding her legs underneath her.

"Really? Oh, Your Highness, that's lovely!" Summer exclaimed, and Teresa smiled.

Summer looked down at Teresa, who was obviously lost in passionate fantasies that were now her reality. Of course Summer knew what she and the Prince had done. Teresa's hair was full of beautiful flowers from the woods – she knew because she had been there many times with Kimball – and she had grass all over her dress.

Teresa heard Summer laughing.

"What?"

Summer shook her head.

"Nothing; you're done for," Summer simply said, and walked over to the chair, motioning for Teresa to follow her. Teresa smiled sheepishly at her, and then sat down on the chair.

-YulianaHenderson-

"Father," Patrick said, while sitting down next to him at the table in the Great Hall. It was no invitation for a conversation, just a greeting. But of course his father took the opportunity to involve himself in a nice conversation with his only child. His father thought it was nice, but Patrick didn't really want to talk to him. There was only one person he wanted to talk with.

"Son, how are you doing?" his father asked teasingly, since he hadn't seen his son since yesterday evening.

Patrick just smiled at his father.

"I heard rumors you and Princess Teresa are getting along fine."

Patrick froze.

"What did you hear?" Patrick asked cautiously. He didn't exactly want his father to know about his love life.

"Just that you and the young lady entered the castle laughing, and she had flowers in her hair," his father said matter-of-factly.

Damn those brothers. He was going to get them for this.

"Yes, Teresa is... nice," Patrick said, and Bertram smiled faintly. He knew everything about him and Teresa, that was for certain.

Patrick had the ability to read people like books, and he never failed in reading his father. He was a book that had been laying open for years and could no longer close anymore.

"You do know that King Minelli and his children leave tonight?" Bertram suddenly asked, and Patrick nearly spit out the wine he was drinking.

"Excuse me?" Patrick all but exclaimed, and Bertram sighed.

"Well, I guess you _didn't_ know."

"No, I didn't! Are they going to have dinner with us?" he asked, and his father nodded. Patrick sighed in frustration, drinking his last bit of wine.

If he'd known that at noon, he would've spent much more time with Teresa.

-YulianaHenderson-

Almost everyone was sitting at the table, but of course, Teresa. Patrick wasn't worried; why should he be?

He just wanted her to come quickly, because the earlier she came, the more time they had to say their goodbyes. Just before dinner started, Teresa entered the hall.

He involuntarily smiled. She was wearing a pink and red dress with gold everywhere. Her hair was tied into one big braid down her back, a flower from their trip to the woods tied within it.

She looked beautiful, though it wouldn't matter what she was wearing, because she was always was beautiful to him.

She didn't even look around for a place, but immediately sat in front of Patrick, and smiled. Would that feeling ever go away? That feeling of suffocation whenever she smiled or laughed?

They started dinner, and strangely, Patrick and Teresa were quiet, just looking at each other.

The rest of the company looked at them with joy, feeling butterflies in their own stomachs whenever Patrick and Teresa smiled at each other.

"Teresa?" Patrick asked when he'd just finished one plate.

"Yes?" she said, though he already had her fullest attention.

"Are you leaving tonight?"

"I am."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, putting down everything he was holding to focus on her. She did the same.

"Because I didn't want to spend that much time with you at first. And when I started to like you," she said, smiling at him, "I didn't want our time together to end."

That put a smile on his face, but he still hated that she was leaving.

"I'm coming back, I know it. I promise," Teresa said, and he smiled again. She seemed to have put a permanent smile upon his face.

He quickly slipped off one shoe, and started to trace her leg with his bare foot beneath the table. She chuckled.

They spent the rest of the dinner in silence again. He, for some reason, couldn't stop stroking her leg with his foot, and she, well, she just smiled at him, having a hard time to keep a straight face. For some reason, the movement of his foot was very exciting.

"Father, is there some entertainment tonight?" Teresa asked. Her father looked up from his meal.

"I have no idea, my dear, you should ask King Bertram," he said. She nodded, and turned to him, but he'd overheard the small conversation and already answered.

"Of course there is, young Lady. There will be dancing!"

-YulianaHenderson-

The music started. Because of the lack of women, Thomas and Michael were forced to dance together. It looked really awkward.

The two kings chose a chair on the outsides of the dance floor, deciding not to dance. They were so old they feared they might break a leg.

Of course, Patrick immediately walked over to Teresa, and she was happy to join him. He pulled her flush against his body, sharing his warmth, which she found she needed, despite all the layers of clothing she was wearing.

They began to dance, properly even though they wanted to just melt into each other.

Teresa felt she could just die there, out of sheer happiness. Tears of joy stung her eyes.

Since when had her life become so good?

When the music was over, Patrick grabbed her hand and pulled her with him outside the dance room, into the halls. He looked if there was anyone there that might be watching them, then bowed down and kissed her, and she opened her mouth for him. He started to play a teasing game with her tongue. He pulled away when they both became breathless.

He smiled.

"I love you, and I'm going to wait for you. I promise, I will count down the days until I will see you again," he whispered in her ear.

She swallowed, trying to let the big lump in her throat disappear.

"I love you too, and I will keep thinking about you, about what we've done. I will think about you when I'm going to sleep, and when I wake up," she replied.

Patrick wiped away the tears that were now streaming down her face.

"Don't cry. We will see each other again," he said, and instead of wiping away the tears, he kissed them away.

He pulled her against him again, letting her bury her face in the crook of his neck.

He heard the music stopped, and they were expected to go to their rooms, but they couldn't. It was as if they were fused together. It wasn't until James gently pulled Teresa away from Patrick that she left his arms.

James took her hand in his, feeling it trembling, and escorted her to her room. She was an emotional mess all of a sudden, and he couldn't blame her. He was still surprised though, because a mere few days before, she had despised Patrick, would kill him with her bare hands if she saw him. And now she couldn't let him go.

When they got to her room, Summer came running toward Teresa, and James left the two women alone.

Now there would be no living with Teresa when they got back.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick watched Teresa walking down the hall and felt his heart breaking when she went around the corner.

He ran his hands through his hair.

He knew he would see her again, but he didn't want to spend one more day alone anymore. Teresa was the one he had been searching for – well, not him, but his father. But now that he had come to know her, he knew she was the one.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"She's a great woman, son. I always told you so. She looks a lot like her mother," King Bertram said, and pointed at the chairs.

They sat down.

"How long is she going to stay away?" Patrick asked, sounding helpless.

"I'm not sure, Patrick, but trust me when I say she's coming back. Don't forget that you need to be together; you're supposed to marry," he said, and Patrick smiled at that.

"I know."

"Oh, that doesn't mean that you can't propose to her," Bertram said, in an attempt to sound subtle. Patrick's father was an idiot at some moments, and romantic skills were not his specialty.

Patrick laughed.

"No, I'm serious, Patrick. You should," Bertram said, his tone serious.

Patrick nodded.

"I will, believe me," Patrick assured him. Before tomorrow morning, she would officially be his fiance, and he would never have to live without her.

-YulianaHenderson-

Summer brushed Teresa's hair. For some reason, that always seemed to calm her.

"So, you're a crying fool?" Summer asked, and Teresa smiled through the tears in her eyes. She nodded.

"I don't know how I can live without him," Teresa said.

"I'm sure you'll bear it. You've lived without him for many years before this; you won't die from a few weeks more," Summer said.

Teresa knew she was right.

A knock came, and Summer opened the door. She already had the feeling she knew who it was, and when she opened the door, her suspicions were confirmed. She bowed, and left the two lovers alone.

When Teresa saw who it was, she flung her arms around Patrick's neck, though she feared she wouldn't be able to let him go again.

He kissed the top of her head.

"Teresa, you can...Let go...," he breathed, but she didn't. So he just lifted her up, and walked over to the balcony. In Patrick's opinion, Teresa had the room with the most beautiful view. He set her down on the bench there, sat down next to her, and pulled her in his arms again.

"Teresa, I..." he started, but he couldn't find the right words. The ring was burning in his pocket-a ring that had been in his family for ages. His father wanted him to it to propose, but he just couldn't find the courage.

So he stared at the forest where they'd shared so much passion, his insides clenching when he heard his father's voice inside his head.

He turned Teresa around in his arms and kissed her. He hoped all the words he couldn't say could be said with the amount of love and passion that vibrated through this kiss.

His hand unconsciously wandered down her body, and before they knew it, they were involved in a hot, passionate game again, she on top of him. When he came inside of her, they both began crying, realizing that would be the last time they'd be together for the next few weeks.

They didn't know if they could survive it.

-YulianaHenderson-

"So...This is it?" Patrick asked, as he and Teresa stood in front of the castle, Teresa ready to leave.

"I suppose," she whispered. They decided not to touch each other again since their night, for this time, really, they wouldn't be able to let go.

But despite their insides tearing to pieces, they smiled because that was all they had.

Patrick reached in his pocket, and gave her something. A dried flower from the day before. A tear escaped her eye.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice breaking. She touched his face for a moment, before she walked over to the carriage.

She sat within like she had done a few days ago, and Teresa looked out the window. She saw how Patrick was standing where she had left him, unable to move.

She waved at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. He waved back, mouthing _I love you_, before the carriage disappeared around the corner and he couldn't see her anymore.

Teresa collapsed on the seat, into James' arms.

The departure from the castle of Tara had been much different than their arrival. Teresa had been chuckling then, enthusiastically waving at Grace, so full of joy.

Now, she felt close to dying. She moved in his arms, resting her head on top of his chest. James had never seen Teresa this sad, this vulnerable and emotional, not even when her most beloved horse had died.

He was on the urge of making the carriage stop and leaving her there, but he knew they couldn't, since this was only a trip to get to know each other. So he took Teresa tightly in his arms, wanting to make sure that he was there for her, that she wouldn't be alone in the weeks she had to wait to see Patrick again.

Besides, she would have Grace back in their castle, Grace would make her forget about Patrick.

"What's so special about him, anyway?" Michael asked, after a lot of long minutes, attempting to lighten the mood a bit.

Teresa looked at him, and moved away from James' arms.

"I can't put it into words," she whispered.

"You must. Why is he more special than us?" Thomas asked, and Teresa rolled her eyes. The three smiled at it. She'd gotten a bit of her playfulness back.

" I can name a lot of ways in which he's greater than you," she said, and leaned against the window of the carriage.

"He's beautiful. Those blonde curls are something I've never seen before in my life. They're like gold, really. He has beautiful, clear green eyes; I can drown in them. Apart from his handsome looks, he has a wonderful personality, if you get to know him. He really cares about animals, and he's really very sweet," she explained. Thomas huffed.

"Yes, sure he is," he said, and she smiled.

"He's not really fond of you, that's why he's not sweet to you." She laughed, and the three brothers sighed.

After about an hour more, Teresa felt no sadness. While she still hated the fact she couldn't be with him, she now realized how in love she was, and that made all the bad thoughts and feelings go away. She focused on the feeling of butterflies in her stomach.

She watched as the trees and little villages passed by, and she remembered their moment in the woods, in the flower field, his beautiful body on top of hers, a big smile spread over his face. Summer was right: she was an infatuated fool.

All four were lost in their thoughts when suddenly a loud sound dragged them back into reality. The doors of the carriage opened, and two men entered it. Teresa got something pushed against her mouth. She tried to fight back, but the man was too strong.

That was when everything went black.

* * *

**A/N: Pam pam PAM! *insert creepy music here* **

**I told you, this story is not over yet xD. Red John _may_ be behind this, but I say MAY! (well, he is, let's be honest, but hey, I didn't really want to spoil the fun for you. But you decided to continue reading, so the fun's gone now for you :P)**

**Please let me know what you think in a REVIEW, thank you and until next chapter!**


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N: Okay, so I'm sorry for the delay on this one! **

**I still hope you're liking this story! Oh, and a fair warning: Yeah, the end of this chapter is... kinda cruel and gory. But we already had the suspicion who had captured Lisbon, and well... he hasn't changed, so to say. But read on! And let me know what you think when you're done!  
**

**Shout-out: Donnamour1969, thanks for beta-ing!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, only the idea for this story.**

* * *

Patrick walked through the castle halls, when he felt a sudden nausea in his stomach. He sensed that something was wrong with Teresa within an instant, but he didn't know what.

-YulianaHenderson-

A sharp pain awoke Teresa. She tried to move, but found her hands were she looked around, she saw that she was in a dimly lit room, and was alone.

Now she would be here for a few days, for this was what her father had warned her of. _Just give them what they want, then you will be released soon_, he'd told her.

But she began to fear that she didn't know _what_ they wanted; if she knew that, she wouldn't be here. She hoped her father and brothers were well. She undoubtedly couldn't live with the knowledge that they may be laying next to a road, dead.

She felt something in her hair, and noticed that Patrick's flower was still there. She was saddened, realizing this may be the last thing she could get from him.

-YulianaHenderson-

The Three Musketeers and King Minelli had been in shock. The attack happened in seconds, and they couldn't do anything about it.

James felt especially guilty. He could do it. He could fight the man that took his little sister, but he had just frozen up like a statue, and when he finally had the feeling he could move again, Teresa was already gone.

They decided to continue their way to the castle. Being here in the middle of nowhere was dangerous, and that danger got notably greater since one of them had been taken already.

James completely blamed their poor security. His father had thought that extra guards would be unnecessary. Of course it was necessary, especially now, since they-meaning Teresa and King Minelli-were close friends with other royals. They had twice the danger they would have had before this trip.

James hoped that Teresa's kidnappers would leave her alive.

-YulianaHenderson-

"What did you say, Your Majesty? Kidnapped?" Grace asked, when the King and his sons told her about what had happened.

Worry was clearly visible in her eyes and on her face. Her best friend was being held hostage, nobody knew where, or by whom. How could she _not_ panic or be angry.

"I'm afraid so, Grace. We know nothing, either," Thomas said. For some reason, he, despite being the youngest of them all, was the only one able to say something.

She turned around and ran to the garden. Thomas sighed in frustration. Did _he_ have to be the sanest person at this moment?

He excused himself from his father and brothers and followed Grace outside. Besides, fresh air would probably be best for him.

He saw that Grace was sitting on her and Teresa's claimed bench; they would always be sitting there if one was searching for the other. If only one of them were gone, Teresa would either be in her room, undertaking needlework or embroidery, or she would be in the chapel, praying for hours. Grace would be somewhere in the castle, attempting to clean something up, dancing around while she did so, or she would be out of the castle, visiting her aunt.

Thomas really liked her; he'd known her his entire life now. When Thomas had only been six years old, Teresa and Grace had had a tough time explaining that Grace wasn't officially a part of their family. They'd given up when the truth simply wouldn't stick with Thomas, and Grace had been his sister ever since. It was only last year he suddenly got a good working brain, it seemed, because he all of a sudden realized Grace couldn't possibly be his sister, since he and all others had dark hair, and Grace had beautiful red hair.

The two girls had laughed at his sudden realization, although they liked the idea of them being sisters. It would make perfect sense.

He sat down beside Grace and grabbed her hand.

"I promise you that I will find her. I will do everything I can-"

"If you are going to look for her, I want to come with you," Grace interrupted him. He stared at her, dumbfounded. That was not what she had planned to say, but now that she offered it, it didn't sound like a stupid idea. There was only one problem: he would not know where to look.

"Grace, I can't promise you or Teresa that I'll know where to find her."

"Well, at least try."

Thomas smiled.

"Aren't you a feisty one?" he asked, teasingly. She lifted one of her eyebrows, pretending to be confused.

"Didn't you know already?"

"Of course I did," he said, and hugged her. He could feel her body trembling all over, but he sensed that she was determined to find her best friend and surrogate twin sister.

-YulianaHenderson-

Thomas and Grace were busy preparing two horses. At dawn, they would go to the place their carriages had been attacked. Thomas hoped they would be able to find some traces of where the kidnappers had gone.

This was the moment that reading books would come in handy. He knew exactly what he was looking for if they got there.

Grace had put on men's clothes she'd borrowed from Thomas. It would only work against her if she went out in a dress.

When Thomas and Grace rode outside the safe walls of the castle, they were met by two men on white horses. Thomas immediately recognized them as two of King Bertram's knights: Sir Wayne and Sir Kimball.

"Prince Thomas, Prince Patrick sent us to see if Princess Teresa has arrived safely," Kimball stated, and judging from the way Thomas and Grace looked at each other, the two knights knew enough.

"What happened?" Wayne asked. Grace looked at Thomas for a reaction, but Thomas wasn't able to reply.

"When the king and his children were on their way to our castle, they were attacked, and the terrible person who did this took Princess Teresa with him," she explained, looking at Kimball, and then at Wayne. Her heart stopped for a moment. The man was utterly beautiful.

"May I ask who you are?" Kimball asked, to which Wayne shot his friend a death glare.

"You may. I'm Grace. I live with the family," she said, simply, and the two didn't seem to doubt that. In the few days since they'd known King Minelli, they knew he was a loving man. Taking a poor girl under his wing didn't seem like an illogical act coming from him.

"We were just going to the place of the attack, in the hope we could find clues of where Teresa is now," Thomas said, deciding he'd had enough of this introduction.

The rest nodded. Thomas pointed toward the road they were going to use, and the group began their trip. Grace and Thomas hoped they would be able to find Teresa because she meant everything to them. The two knights wanted to find her because they didn't want Prince Patrick to kill himself because of the loss of yet another woman in his life.

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa felt tears streaming down her face, despite telling herself she wouldn't cry. Who would want to do this to her? She hadn't hurt anyone, hadn't even misbehaved. She had been a perfect princess, except when she had bedded Prince Patrick. There was only one man who hated Prince Patrick who was ready to kill everything and everyone that came close to Patrick-Red John.  
Red John must be doing this.

She had to find a way out. She knew what had happened to his former family. She didn't want to join their fates at the hands of this devil.

-YulianaHenderson-

"Look!" Grace exclaimed, pointing at something that was on the ground that didn't belong there.

The group all stepped off their horses and walked closer.

Grace gasped as she saw what it was.

"That's...," she said, but she didn't want to say it. It would only confirm the fact that Teresa had been kidnapped by cruel people.

"What's that?" Thomas asked, but as soon as he looked down, he saw it as well. It was one of Teresa's shoes.

Grace quickly picked it up and put it in the bag she was carrying with her. She had the feeling it could bring them just a little bit closer to Teresa.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned around, she saw Sir Wayne trying to calm her down.

"It's gonna be okay," he said. She smiled at him.

"I know; you don't have to say that three hundred times," she said, smiling. She saw him blushing, and patted his cheek.

"You needn't worry, Sir Wayne, I appreciate that you care about me," she said, and that put a smile on his face.

"Yes, lovebirds, are you done?" Kimball asked dryly. The two immediately nodded, and got back on their horses.

Thomas had found footprints, and they followed them into the woods.

-YulianaHenderson-

A silhouette appeared on the wall in front of Teresa. She gasped. The shadow approached her, slowly, threatening her, forbidding her to move.

She noticed she was holding her breath. She was about to meet the one that had imprisoned her, and she wasn't sure she would survive it.

"Well, hello, Your Majesty. Or, which name do you prefer? Princess Teresa of Tara? Future wife of Prince Patrick? Prince Patrick's lover?" the shadow asked, his voice pitched high. She refused to answer.

Much to her displeasure, he already knew too much about her.

"I know your name, Teresa. But as a true princess, shouldn't you introduce yourself?" he asked, innocently, and she swallowed.

An introduction of any sort wasn't as powerful if she was sitting on the floor, her hands and feet tied. _Give him what he wants, Teresa. _She bit her lower lip.

"I'm Teresa, Princess of Tara. Would you like to hear more?" she asked, and the shadow nodded. "I'm the only daughter of Virgil Minelli, King of Tara, and Lilia Briese, Princess of Toledo, later Queen of Tara. Since my birth, I've been betrothed to Patrick, Prince of Desmond, for political reasons. My brothers, if you must know, are Princes James, Michael and Thomas of Tara. And I'm sure they soon are going to find me!" she hissed.

She tried to move again, to loosen the straps, but to no avail.

"Shh, Teresa, no need to be so put out. Think about Patrick. Would he want you to be so angry?" he asked.

She groaned. "What do you know about us?"

"Oh? There is an _us_?" he asked, teasingly, and she cursed herself for letting that much slip.

"Since when have you changed your mind, dear Teresa? I can remember you as a little girl, proclaiming that your true prince on a white horse would come, and that he would _not _be Prince Patrick. You were unbelievably famous around the continent for that, disobeying your parents and your beliefs. What happened? Since when do you want to marry dear Patrick, my love?"

"I'm not your love," she said, quietly, and the shadow chuckled.

"You have no idea, Teresa, you have no idea," he whispered, and slowly approached her, sending shivers down her spine.

"What do you mean?" she asked. He chuckled again.

"I mean what you think I mean," he said, and kneeled down beside her, his breath tickling the skin of her neck. She felt new tears stinging her eyes.

"Get away from me," she quietly hissed through her tears.

When he placed a small kiss in her neck, she pushed him away with her shoulder. He landed on the floor, but within the dark shadow of his hooded cloak, she could see a small smile.

"A feisty one, aren't you? Patrick's taste has improved, if I may say so. Angela was too sweet; he needs someone who doesn't bore him. I already knew that Angela was going to get boring after a few years. I only made the decision for Patrick to kill them."

"You shouldn't have."

"But I did. What are _you_ going to do about it, Teresa? Do you believe Patrick truly loves you?" he asked.

She closed her eyes. Did she? In their moments together, Patrick looked in love. But she knew so little about him. Maybe the man was a great actor.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Oh, Teresa darling, your feelings aren't mutual. Patrick is still in love with Angela, and you know you can't replace her. Did you really think you could?" Red John asked.

The tears now streamed down her face. How could she be so naïve? Of course Patrick didn't love her. Red John was right. There was only place for one woman in Patrick's life, no matter what he'd told her. Angela was his love, not Teresa. She couldn't compete with the happy memories of Angela and Charlotte.

"Oh, don't cry...Actually, _do_ cry. You don't deserve Patrick, you know that full well. He's already had a wife; you're going to be his second one, and you know as well as I do that that's against the rules of the church, right? Now, don't get me wrong, Patrick deserves a happy life, but it's just not going to happen with you," he said, and pulled a knife out of his pocket to push it against her throat.

-YulianaHenderson-

_A tall, young and beautiful woman approached Patrick. He knew who it was- Angela. Standing behind her was Charlotte._

_They were clad in beautiful white dresses, ribbons everywhere. They looked stunning._ _Angela wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. It felt very surreal._

_Charlotte pulled at his clothes, and he moved reluctantly away from Angela, looking down at his sweet little princess._

"_Daddy, are you afraid?" Charlotte asked him, and he knelt down in front of her._

"_Why would I be afraid, Lottie?" he asked. She brushed his cheek._

_"Because Teresa is missing." _

_Jane thought about this._

"_I should be scared, shouldn't I?" he asked her, and she nodded._

_Angela came to stand behind Charlotte, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulder._

"_Don't be afraid, Patrick. We'll take care of her," Angela said, and Patrick jumped up._

"_What do you mean?"_

_A finger touched his bare neck, and he immediately turned around. Teresa was standing there, dressed in the same dress as Angela, only longer, touching the floor._

"_I love you, Patrick, and I always will. Don't forget me, please," she all but pleaded, placing a small kiss on his lips and coming to stand next to Angela, linking their hands._

"_Do you mean tha...Teresa is...dead?" Patrick asked Angela. She shrugged._

"_I don't have the slightest idea, Patrick; this is your dream. You may decide," she said, turning around, and Charlotte and Teresa followed her, into a big white tunnel._

"_No! Teresa!" Patrick exclaimed._

And that was when he opened his eyes.

He sat up straight in his bed, panting heavily. Madeleine, the head maid, heard him and entered his room.

Tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?"

"I need to find Teresa!" he exclaimed, and jumped out of his bed, hastily managing to put on proper clothes. He really couldn't care less what he wore; the love of his life could be laying dead somewhere.

-YulianaHenderson-

After many hours, it became clear that looking for Teresa was hopeless, so the prince, the knights and the maid returned back to Minelli Castle to stay there for the night. It was getting dark already, and they would see nothing then.

Not that they wanted to stop, however. Grace was willing to search for Teresa the entire night.

Grace sat in Teresa's room, staring at her bed, remembering how they'd shared many nights there, talking about all sorts of things. Not about boys, for they were kept away from them, except for Teresa's brothers.

Teresa's father never understood that need to talk about things that didn't seem to be interesting. The girls had tried to explain it, but just like explaining to Thomas that Grace wasn't a royal, explaining to King Minelli how women's minds worked was hardly possible.

She walked over to the bed, and all but collapsed upon it.

"Tess, where are you?" Grace whispered, and fell into a dreamless slumber.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick realized that nobody knew where he was. They could be looking for him as well at this moment, but he didn't care. He had the feeling something bad had happened to Teresa, and he didn't want his biggest nightmare to become reality.

He knew Red John had been spying on him, had been since Patrick could remember. It wasn't usually that hard to spot, seeing as there were always men standing in bushes, watching him.

He had looked around before kissing Teresa in the halls, and later in the woods, but he hadn't seen anyone. It would seem that love had made him blind, that there had indeed been someone watching. A chill ran down his spine. Someone had been watching when he and Teresa had...Red John was really a sick man.

Patrick returned to the flower fields where he and Teresa had been, secretly hoping she might be there. Unfortunately, she wasn't, and he collapsed onto the ground. He didn't know if Wayne and Kimball had found her already, or if Teresa had escaped, herself. All he knew was that she had to get away from Red John soon, images of Angela and Charlotte's butchered bodies coming to his mind.

-YulianaHenderson-

"I'm going to punish Patrick by punishing you," Red John whispered in Teresa's ear, but she couldn't focus on what he was saying. She only noticed the knife almost cutting into her. He pulled up her dress until it was just above her knees, and placed the knife there.

"Showing love in public places is a sin," Red John said, cutting into her leg where Patrick had stroked her with his foot. She cried out in agony.

"Giving in to a woman's needs is a sin," he said, and cut into the insides of both her thighs, and she had a hard time staying conscious.

"Kissing in front of your father and other men, it can be called 'showing love in public places', but if you do, it would be less fun, wouldn't it?" he asked rhetorically. He began cutting on all the places he thought Patrick had kissed her: her arm, on the crook of her neck, her cheek, and finally, he arrived at her lips.

"Those beautiful lips, we wouldn't want to lose them, would we? Oh, such a pity," he whispered, and cut her lips. She fell to the floor.

Red John looked down on her unmoving body. All the more chance to make her look beautiful, he thought to himself, while he cut open her dress and started tracing the perfect outlines of her feminine body with the knife. He admitted, Patrick was really lucky this time. Teresa was everything a woman needed to be.

Maybe that was why he'd started to make Patrick's life miserable, because Patrick had always gotten the beautiful women, and John had not.

He cut Teresa's stomach in just the right place so that she wouldn't die yet.

Another cut, just above the first one.

He continued until there were seven cuts, although he didn't know what that might resemble. He cut open the ties Teresa had around her wrists and ankles, seeing as she was about to die and couldn't possibly run away.

When he was just about to cut her neck, killing her at last, she suddenly jumped up, knocking him against the wall, causing him to lose consciousness. She felt dizzy, and a sharp pain wrenched her stomach. Teresa looked down at it. She was bleeding heavily, but she would try to escape this...house.

When she arrived outside, she had no idea where she was, how late it was, or if there was anyone nearby, but she started running, the cuts on her body aching more and more the further she ran, stumbling because of the tension and pain in her stomach. She was ready to throw up, but still, she kept running.

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**A/N: No, I wasn't really sure about the end of this chapter. I first thought that it wasn't realistic to be running with cuts like that. But then I saw the same on a Dutch TV show, and I found that it was possible. Lisbon wants to survive, so she has more strength than before :D.**

**I can't promise when I'm going to upload next chapter. My life depends on Donna regarding this story, and since she has a life and I don't, it can take a little longer until she checks my story. But no worries! :D  
**

**Let me know what you think in a REVIEW, thank you!  
**


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N: THAAAAAAANKS for the reviews and the continued support! I love you all with a passion!**

**This is actually some kind of hurt/comfort chapter, mostly between Patrick and Teresa :D.  
**

**And a big thanks to Donnamour1969 for beta-ing this for me. Without you, this story would be so bad that you would almost cry at how bad it is. Thanks!  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, sadly.**

* * *

Patrick looked at the sky. The stars were shining and he looked up for the two brightest. He had done that since Angela and Charlotte's deaths. He told himself that they were the stars, looking down on him and watching over him should he need it.

All of a sudden, he saw a falling star, and without doubting-even without thinking-he began walking. A bigger star appeared next to the other two, and a small smile crept over his face. If that one was Teresa, if she was dead, she would at least be with Angela and Charlotte.

He started following the stars though he had no idea why.

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa arrived at a large lake, and she looked out at the water. She thought it looked quite clean, and so she decided to quickly bathe in it, in an attempt to clean her wounds.

She went into the water, still fully clothed, and swam toward the middle of the lake. The cuts hurt, were burning now, and she only hoped she would make it to the nearest village.

Suddenly, she felt a lot of pain and sadness. But it was not physical pain.

If she did make it to the world of the living, she would never be with Patrick again. He didn't love her and she didn't want him to come up with lame excuses why he did love her and how Red John was lying.

She started crying, and went under the surface, holding her breath. Would she be able to go through this, to drown herself? Yes, she would rather die than spend her life with a man who didn't love her. She kept her head under the surface, still thinking about Patrick when she lost consciousness.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick arrived at a large lake, feeling horrible. He didn't know how long he had been walking, but he was sure it had been for some miles. How would he be able to find Teresa? Suddenly, something caught his eye, and he stopped breathing. A woman was lying in the lake, face down, horribly still.

He realized that he had found her.

He shed most of his clothes before going into the water. It was icy cold since the sun had hidden in the valleys hours before.

He swam over to the body, turned it over, and his suspicions had been confirmed: it was Teresa.

He tried to feel her pulse, but there wasn't one. The cuts on her abdomen caught his eye. Her dress was cut open, and she looked so vulnerable. He felt helpless. What could he do? He took her to the shore, and gently placed her on the ground.

He brushed off her face. Her entire body was full of cuts, and Patrick suddenly felt the great urge to hit something, or somebody. He bowed down and kissed her, hoping that would bring her to life again. He slapped himself internally. He'd heard too many fairy tales; this was real life, he couldn't bring her back with a kiss.

All of a sudden, she choked, and he watched, dumbfounded.

She expelled all the water from her lungs, and when she tried to sit up, the cuts on her abdomen began to hurt again, and she fell to the ground.

Her eyes caught his, and she rolled away from his embrace.

"Leave me alone," she breathed, but he shook his head.

"No, Teresa, I'm not leaving you."

"But you don't love me, and I don't want to be with somebody who pretends to have feelings only to make me feel better."

He frowned.

"What are you talking about, Teresa? There is nobody I want to be with more than you. You are my love. You gave me a chance at living again, at truly feeling, and my feelings towards you aren't pretend. They are true, _really _true. I don't know where you heard those lies, but Teresa, I love you, so very much it hurts," he whispered, taking her in his arms again while he talked. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, ignoring the aching pain of the cuts.

"Red John told you this?" he asked, and she nodded.

He pulled away and kissed her. He put so much love in the kiss that Teresa felt butterflies behind the cuts on her abdomen.

Tears streamed down her face, and he pulled back to look at her.

"Let's get you to the castle," he whispered, after he succeeded in closing her dress to hide her naked flesh. When he found out the dress was too damaged to cover everything, he grabbed his shirt and gently put it on her, giving her his warmth. He quickly put on the rest of his clothes, then he put one of his arms under her legs, the other under her upper body. She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling suddenly weak, no surprise after having almost died. She allowed Patrick to carry her, and she hoped he knew where he was heading.

The heat of his body felt wonderful, heating her not only from the outside, but also from the inside. She felt his body trembling at the latest adventure they'd experienced. She looked up at him, and saw that he was looking at her as well.

This was going to be a long walk.

-YulianaHenderson-

"What if we go to Bertram Castle? Maybe King Bertram knows something about Teresa already," Thomas offered, after a search of another five hours or so.

The rest nodded, and just when they were about to turn around, Grace suddenly yelled.

Wayne was with her in no time. She pointed at something and he followed her gaze, then he was gone. They followed him and arrived at a little house. The front door was open, and they all had the feeling that this was what they were looking for.

"You two, stay here," Kimball said to Thomas and Grace, and with Wayne, he went into the house. It was only a mere seconds later that somebody dressed in dark red clothes exited the house. Thomas and Grace acted on instinct. He reached out his foot so that the person stumbled over it, and she dove on the person, pushing him further into the ground. She looked at Thomas and he grinned.

"We're the perfect team," he laughed, and she agreed by laughing with him. He sat down on the person's feet, making it impossible to escape.

The two knights excited the house moments later and looked at Thomas and Grace, who had tackled the kidnapper. They were panting, and Grace suddenly got the feeling those two were real idiots.

"Are you fine?" Wayne asked Grace, and she nodded.

"Don't worry about me," she said, and he sighed in relief.

She rolled her eyes. The man was obviously in love with her.

Kimball knelt next to the person's head, and pulled the mask from his face.

The person was a man, likely in his late thirties. He had hair as dark as the night, as were his eyes. Thomas cringed at the sight; the man looked utterly evil.

If he were Patrick's nemesis, though, it would fit the fairytales they'd heard when they were children. The dark represented evil and death; red, blood. Light represented the good; yellow the sun, blue and green for everything that lived and died.

This man would be the evil, so dark and deadly.

Patrick would be the good, with blonde hair and green eyes. A light character who made everybody happy. He would be fighting crime, whether he wanted it or not.

"So, secret man, what would your name be?" Wayne asked, trying to sound harsh.

The man looked him in the eye, and Wayne felt a shudder running down his spine.

"I have many names: Timothy Carter, Roy Tagliaferro. But I think you would know me best as Red John," he breathed, almost unable to speak since Grace was still sitting on top of him, his chest painfully pressed into the ground.

All four stood still, frozen to the ground. The man suppressed a smile.

"Yes, you know me as Red John. You were coming for Teresa, weren't you? Too bad. The poor girl escaped. She must be somewhere in the woods, surrounded by wild animals ready to eat her," the man said, and Grace jumped up.

"Where is she?" she exclaimed. The man took the opportunity to sit up straight. Wayne and Kimball lifted the man up, holding his arms.

Red John shrugged.  
"I have no idea, beautiful," he said, and she shuddered.

"I have an idea. Why don't we go search for her, and you're going with us," Kimball stated, and the man shrugged again.  
"I don't know, be my guest, as they say," he said, and intertwined his hands behind his back, making it possible for the knights to tie his hands together. They did, and led him to the horses.

When they sat him on one, Kimball sat behind him, unbelievably close to this monster. He rode to the front of the group.

"Better idea. I take him to the Bertram Castle, and put him in the dungeons. You go look for the princess," Kimball said. Red John nodded enthusiastically.

"Send Patrick and Teresa my love, will you?"

Everybody rolled their eyes.

"See you soon," Kimball said, and the rest waved.

"Am I glad that he took that monster with him," Grace said, and Wayne agreed.

"I hope Kimball can handle him," Thomas said worriedly. Wayne waved it away.

"Don't worry, he looks small and weak, but he can even tackle me without trouble," Wayne said, and that made the other two laugh.

"Let's go find a princess…again," Wayne said.

"I don't know what John did to my sister, but I think that she might be wounded."

"Yes. And I don't see traces of horses or carriages, so she's walking. Look!" Grace suddenly exclaimed, and pointed at something on the ground. It was footprints, little ones, and they were presumably Teresa's. The prints went into the bushes, meaning they couldn't go further with horses.

So they tied their horses to a tree and followed the prints. Wayne was behind Grace all the time, and it made her feel weak, made her think that she needed help because she was a woman.

"Tommy, could you give us a minute, please?" she asked, and he nodded. He continued walking for a bit, and when Grace was sure he couldn't hear them anymore, she turned to Wayne.

"Look, I'm flattered that you like me, but I don't need to be protected. I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself; I've done that many times before in my life. When I'm crying for your help, then I will let you protect me. Otherwise, I will protect myself. I'm my own woman, thank you," she stated.

He smiled, and bowed teasingly.

"Of course, milady," he said, and that made her smile.

"No need for the formalities, though."

"I'm only trying to be charming."

"You needn't be; I'm just a maid."

"So?"

"So nothing, I don't deserve to be treated as a princess."

"What if I just want to treat you like a princess?" he asked, approaching her. She frowned.  
"Why would you want that?"

He now reached her, and they stood toe-to-toe.

"Because you are a beautiful princess to me." His warm breath touched her face, and he linked his lips with hers. Grace smiled against his mouth.

She pulled him closer by putting her hands up to his neck. He probed his tongue against her lips, begging for entrance, and she decided to have mercy, opening for him.

"Bonnie, I think I found som-" Thomas started, but stopped when he saw the two kissing. A smile crept across his face, and he hid behind a tree.

Grace had told Thomas many times that she craved a man. Where Teresa claimed she didn't need one, laughed at hopeless attempts from foppish men to seduce her, pushed away every man other than her father and brothers, Grace really was a romantic at heart.

She couldn't read, but Thomas could. When they were both bored, Thomas would read from books, and most of the time, they were fairytales. The princess would be waiting for her knight in shining armor, or a prince on a white horse. She always told him she would be different from the princesses in those books. She wouldn't wait for the men; she would go after them.

Seeing her kissing her knight at last, Thomas felt happy for her. And when he'd seen Teresa and Patrick flirting, and kissing in the hall after they danced that last night, he felt his sisters had done well.

He'd done his job for them, now he needed to search for his own princess.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick was still panting heavily, and Teresa was having trouble staying awake. The ache in her wounds had subsided slowly for awhile, but now they were burning like hell.

It had started to rain, making the ground muddy and slippery.

Patrick suddenly stopped walking and put her down, laying her in his lap. He felt her forehead, and pulled his hand back as if it were burning. Her state was slowly getting worse by the minute, and he really needed to find help. He knew that the cuts weren't Teresa's biggest problem, it was the infection she'd gotten from the water in the lake. He had no idea if the water had been clean, couldn't see whether it had been a beautiful shade of clear blue.

He kissed the top of her head.  
"I'm sorry, Teresa. I'm so sorry," he whispered.

She opened her eyes, and he saw that her gaze was glassy.  
"What do you mean?" she replied quietly. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it a bit.

"That I pulled you into this. I knew Red John was still out to kill my joy, and I went ahead and started this with you. I shouldn't have. And I'm also sorry I didn't find you sooner; I would've been able to save you from him."

She cupped his face, her hands trembling.

"It's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. And you couldn't have saved me, I wanted to be dead," she whispered, at which he pulled her up to bury her face in the crook of his neck.

"You have no reason to be dead, no reason at all. Because I swear to God, if you are dead, I will kill myself in the slowest and most painful way to punish myself for not saving you. I love you so much that words don't seem to be enough to explain how much. Did he tell you that I was still in love with Angela?"

She nodded.

"That's what I thought. Listen, of course Angela is still in the back of my mind, and of course I miss her very much, but to let you compete with her is cruel. I wouldn't ask it from you, as I know that you are two completely different women. I love you both, but you are the one here laying in my arms, hearing this speech, and she's not. So please, believe me when I say that I love you, from the bottom of my heart, and I never want to lose you. I'm going to stand by your side for the rest of your life, whether you like it or not," he whispered.

He felt something warm wetting his shoulder, and Teresa started sobbing, the sound wrenching his heart. His angel was in agonizing pain, and all he could do was say how much he loved her.

He lifted her up and continued walking, until he found a cave.

It was surprisingly big inside, bigger than the outside would indicate. He gently placed Teresa on the floor, making sure she was comfortable enough. He reassured her that he would return, before running outside to find edible plants and leaves that would ease the pain, along with something to transport water.

He was happy that he'd been practically living outside since a very young age, because he knew almost immediately which plants to take. When he entered the cave again, he saw Teresa's eyes were closed. He almost dropped everything and hurried to her side. When he felt for a pulse, he let out a sigh of relief. She was just sleeping.

He pulled her clothes up and placed the leaves he'd found on her abdomen. He immediately saw her facial expression go from agonizing, excruciating pain to almost bearable, and he smiled. He would do for a physician.

He took off most of her clothes, leaving only her undergarments. Everything was wet from the lake and the rain, and she would catch a cold along with the infection, bruises and cuts.

He lifted her head slightly to let her drink some water, and he was glad her subconscious mind allowed the drinking into her dreams.

When he was finished playing at doctor, he looked down at her. Since all their clothes were wet, and there was nothing here that could do for a blanket or warm clothes, he decided to take nearly everything off and leave them to dry in the back of the cave. He then returned to her again, taking her in his arms, allowing her to revel in his bodily warmth. He stayed up all night, watching over her and making sure she was well. He was no sleeper anyway, had suffered from insomnia for almost a decade now. For him, nights usually lasted a short three hours, if he even went to sleep. So staying awake to protect his diamond was no problem at all.

He had tenderly brushed her cheeks when she seemed to be having a nightmare, and had checked for a pulse every five minutes, afraid she would die without him noticing. Her fever went down notably, and it calmed him when he saw a few smiles appearing on her lips every once in a while.

The rain had stopped after a few hours, and the birds started to sing again. A warm sunbeam heated the cave. The warmth had stirred Teresa, and she awoke to look immediately into Patrick's eyes. He suddenly saw small tears forming in hers.

"What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" he asked, but she shook her head.

"I've never thought I would be so happy with an arranged marriage," was all she whispered, and he bowed his head and kissed her.

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**A/N: So? What did you think? I admit, it was kinda fluffy, with Grace and Wayne kissing (I still ship them so bad :D) and Patrick and Teresa finding each other. And yes, maybe Patrick found her really quick, but that's what true love is, isn't it? I mean, I was in love with a boy and I had this internal radar and I knew where he was almost every minute of every day. So, maybe that's what Patrick felt, and he was subconsciously led to her in the lake :D.  
And believe me, they will stay in the cave for another chapter :D.  
**

**Let me know what you think in a REVIEW, thank you!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**A/N: Hello, here I am again! Sorry it took so long, I was a bit stressed and that was why some things between me and my Beta-Reader Donnamour1969 went wrong. Nothing bad from Donna, though, I love her with a passion. **

**Anyways, here's the next chapter! Getting a bit excited, aren't you? :P  
**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, sadly. If I did though, I would change it so much that only my parents are watching. So no, I don't own it.**

* * *

"Did you know that forests are divided into three different layers: the forest floor, the understory and the canopy? The forest floor is comprised of soil, dead plants and animals, and small plants such as grasses and wildflowers. The understory contains small trees or bushes and is also called the shrub layer. The canopy is made up of the leaves and branches of the trees that dominate the forest."

Thomas was throwing around random facts about forests as the three walked through the woods.

Grace couldn't concentrate one bit at it, though deep down, she wanted to know. She just couldn't keep her gaze off of Wayne. Whenever Thomas wasn't looking, they would smile at each other, even occasionally winking, and they chuckled without sound.

What made it even funnier was that Thomas didn't notice. They could very well kiss behind him and he would still ramble on about how trees are fighting a battle over who gets the most oxygen. Sure, that was interesting.

They reached a large lake, and they sighed.

"I think it's useless; we won't find her," Wayne said, and Grace nodded.

"I agree with him. Let's just get back to the castle, and see if somebody there knows something about them," Grace said. Thomas hesitated, before sighing and giving in.

"Very well, you win. But stop flirting behind my back, will you?" he asked, and the two smiled.

"How did you-?"

"I know, Bonnie, believe me," Thomas said, and continued walking. He hoped he knew where they would be heading, because he was always bad with directions. Thank God he had Sir Wayne, but Thomas doubted if said man was alert at the moment.

-YulianaHenderson-

Sir Kimball was sitting in front of the cell he'd thrown Red John in.

The man was now looking at Kimball, his eyes cold and icy, as was his soul. A normal man – or woman, for that matter – wouldn't be able to bear this sort of gaze, would've fainted or fled the moment the man laid eyes on them.

But Sir Kimball was bold, courageous, and brave. He couldn't be tricked that easily; people would die if they tried that.

So, looking at this man, this _monster,_ who took pleasure in hurting or taking the life of innocent people, was no ordeal for Kimball. He had experienced far too much in his life up until now, so this was nothing.

When he was younger, he was forced into robbing rich people to gain more money for his family. With six mouths to feed, his parents had a difficult job just staying alive. Kimball and his brothers and sisters would just wander the streets, looking out for golden rings or other expensive things they could sell-anything to get a decent meal.

When he was thirteen, he was kicked out of the house, not because his parents didn't love him, but because they simply didn't have the money for him anymore. Having looked up at the castle for his entire life, wishing that some day he would be able to tell his parents that he lived there, he decided to take a chance and go to the castle. He asked if he could become a knight, and because he had been training for that all his life, the King gave in and Kimball became a squire. Not a knight yet, but he worked hard to become a great one. That is where he met Wayne.

He kept saying to himself that he did it for his parents, to make them feel proud, but he found he didn't care one bit about them anymore. He once had, but when they kicked him out, an intense hate grew inside him, but it wasn't until he became a knight that he realized it.

Whereas most everybody loved their parents, he didn't want more than to see them dead.

Red John shifted a bit, but he never took his eyes off Kimball.

"You know, Kimball, I admire your courage. I can see that you're a smart man. I could use a man like you," he said.

"What makes you think I want to join you?"

Red John shrugged.

"I don't know. You tell me."

"No."

"Fine then," Red John said, and turned around, looking at the wall. Kimball quietly sighed. What a madman. Did he seriously think that Kimball could be tricked that easily? He was about to stand up, when Red John started talking again.

"I could give you a good life, you know. You're lonely, aren't you?"

Kimball turned around.

"I know a lot of pretty girls who fancy a knight in their beds. How would that be?" Red John asked, turning around again and walking over to the barred wall.

Kimball did the same, but on the other end of it.

"You are a sick man, sir, and don't you dare think that Sir Wayne or I, or any other person in this castle will join you. You'd be more likely to rot in hell than be given a chance at seeing daylight again," Kimball stated, clearly angry, and Red John smiled.

"Good job, Kimball," he said, at which Kimball left the room.

"I'll be waiting for you here, Kimball! You know where to find me!"

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa had slept for the last six hours, in addition to the ten hours before that. Hence, when she finally awoke, she felt a lot better. She had been wearing an expensive dress when she was kidnapped, with a lot of layers of strong fabric. It had been a mystery to Patrick how Red John had cut it open so easily. He hung one layer to dry, and he tore the rest in pieces and used them as bandages for her wounds.

"We're very bad at saying goodbye, aren't we?" Teresa asked, and Patrick smiled.

"I believe we are, yes. But that's only a good thing, because I found I couldn't live without you."

She smiled.

She sat up straight, ignoring the ache in her lower body. The infection had somewhat subsided, but her muscles hurt from laying in the same position for a while on the hard surface of the floor, along with the infection that had quickly spread throughout her body.

He helped her up, and soon, she was standing on her feet again. The sunlight now revealed her actual state, and Patrick gasped. When he'd found her at the lake, he hadn't noticed her lips were cut, and she had a slash on her cheek. The wounds were drying already, but it made her look helpless and pitiful, and he knew she didn't want to look like that.

He approached her quickly, and linked their lips together.

She swung her arms around his neck, even if it was only because she felt her legs were still a nice representation of jelly. She felt so weak from her injuries and lack of food. He noticed, and gently put her down again on the floor, covering her body with his.

She smiled against his mouth, and he pulled away.

"What are _you_ laughing at?"

"Butterflies. They're tickling me."

He smiled.

"How adorable. Saint Teresa is in love for the first time."

She hit his arm.

"Not everybody is blessed with a great dose of arrogance that can make every woman, or man, go mad for them," she teased. He sat up, and acted as if he were hurt.

"Pardon me?"

"You heard me," she said, and turned on her side, facing him with her back.

He gently hit her bottom before leaving the spot on the ground and checking their clothes.

Then, something occurred to him. He recognized this place. The shapes of the trees. Of course! How could he be so stupid? He looked over at Teresa, and saw she was peacefully sleeping again, so he left the cave.

-YulianaHenderson-

"And then he took me under his wing. Everything I have is thanks to him," Grace explained, and Wayne nodded, clearly impressed.

"You're very brave," Wayne said, and Grace smiled. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and then looked outside.

The sun was hiding between the mountains again. Symbolically, it represented their chances of finding Patrick and Teresa. The whole castle was beginning to grieve. It had been two days now; the chance they would still be alive was very small.

Grace still had hope, though. She thought that if Teresa were dead, surely she would feel it. She turned to Wayne again.

"Do you believe that they are still alive?" she asked. She saw the smile on his face disappearing, and she sighed.

"I'm sorry, sweet, but I believe the chance of finding them is really small. I'm sorry," he said, and she closed her eyes.

"It's all right," she whispered. She felt his hand on her face, cupping her cheek, and soon, Wayne joined their lips. She returned his kisses, but stayed in one place, which only made Wayne move so they could be closer. Grace began chuckling, pulling away from him.

"I'm not running away, you don't have to be that close to me the entire day," she laughed, and Wayne smiled a faint smile.

Grace ran her hands through his short hair, disheveling it, before placing a small kiss on his forehead and leaving the room.

And she left Sir Wayne alone to feel like an idiot. An idiot in love.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick arrived at a familiar spot. From there, he estimated the walk to be around two miles. He wasn't sure Teresa could walk that much, but that was why God had given him arms. He would carry her most of the distance.

Thirty minutes later, he arrived back at the cave, and as always since they began occupying the cave, he let out a sigh of relief when he found Teresa still there, now lying on her back, her ribcage rising and falling with every breath she took. He sat down beside her and stroked some stands of hair out of her face. She woke up.

"I remember this place, Teresa. I know how we can get to one of the nearby villages," he whispered, and she smiled.

He helped her to slowly sit up straight.

"How far?"

"About three miles."

She sighed, and felt the cuts on her abdomen with her fingers. They were still slightly burning.

"Don't worry, I can carry you," Patrick quickly added.

"Let _you_ carry _me_?" she huffed. "I'm still perfectly capable of walking," she reassured him, and tried to stand up. When she stood straight, she smiled at herself. So far, so good.

But when she tried to walk, she felt what had been haunting her for a few hours. She had just enough strength in her legs to stand upright, but walking hurt because of the cuts on her inner thighs and lower leg, and she also hadn't eaten that much and couldn't possibly have the strength to walk for over three miles.

She sighed out of frustration and sat down between Patrick's legs again.

"What did I tell you?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Just get me dressed, King of the Gods, so I can sleep in my own bed again," she said, and he laughed.

"I'm afraid you won't ever see your own bed again, my butterfly."

"And why is that?"

"Because you'll be spending every night for the rest of your life in _my_ bed," he said, and she chuckled.

"Now that is something I could get used to."

Patrick smiled, and stood up to gather their clothes.

After a long while – it took more time because Teresa was acting stubborn – they were both fully dressed again, only Patrick's shirt was on Teresa again because her dress was cut open. Patrick lifted Teresa and they left the cave.

Teresa squeezed her eyes shut against the bright daylight. She took comfort in the facts that Patrick was carrying her, that it wasn't raining, that she wasn't dead yet and that Patrick knew which way to go.

She softly touched his upper arms, feeling how his strong muscles tensed all the time. She looked up, and saw how the sun made his beautiful hair look man was a living god, even though he was scarred. But she would help him recover from the Red John debacle.

He was hers. For now, at least.

-YulianaHenderson-

"It has been two days, Your Highness. Two days."

Summer had been pacing up and down for the past three hours, while King Bertram was sitting on his throne. Kimball, Wayne and Grace had joined them, but they didn't interrupt.

"I know, Summer."

"But can't you do anything about it?"

"What can I do? I'm not a wizard. Besides, my knights have been looking for them already. Summer, believe me, I've done everything I can."

"But it's not enough!" Summer exclaimed, but immediately covered her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," she breathed, and left the Throne Hall.

King Bertram sighed, and the group saw great frustration in his eyes.

"Sir Kimball?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

Bertram motioned for Kimball to come closer, and he did.

"Are you sure our men have searched everywhere?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Kimball said seriously. Bertram closed his eyes.

"Very well, thank you."

King Bertram stood up, and coughed.

"I can do nothing else but to declare my son Prince Patrick and Princess Teresa... dead," he said, his voice breaking at the last word, and left the Throne Hall. The other three looked at each other.

"Really?" Grace asked, and the other two looked at her.

"I'm afraid so, Grace," Kimball said, and followed Summer and the king outside of the Throne Hall.

Grace was staring into nowhere. Rigsby went to her side.

All of a sudden, she flung her arms around his neck, and started crying.

Rigsby didn't know how to console her, so he just stroked her back and whispered soothing words in her ear.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick was panting heavily. Teresa looked up, and saw by Patrick's face how hard carrying her was for a good mile. She tapped his arm, and he immediately looked down because he thought something was wrong.

"We can rest for a while," Teresa whispered, and Patrick shrugged.

But when he saw her serious expression, he put her down and just took the time to look at her.

"You know, despite all the cuts, you're still beautiful."

"Stop with the flirting, you don't have to steal my heart anymore."

"Oh, I know, my precious diamond. I just like to say it a lot because it's the truth."

She smiled.

"How are the cuts?" Patrick asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know, I don't want to look."

"Let me look, then. You don't have to see it," Patrick said. He leaned closer and lifted the shirt she was wearing, then slightly pushed away the cuts were more or less starting to heal, but because of the lack of attention given they were most certainly going to be big scars.

He sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"I thought you didn't want to know?"

She hit his arm.

"Well, since you want to know; there are going to be scars, unfortunately."

Teresa closed her eyes.

"Well, luckily I have dresses with three thousand layers, so nobody will see them," she deadpanned. He laughed.

"Hey," he whispered, placing his fingers under her chin and lifting it so she looked him in the eyes, "I'll see it. And you're still beautiful."

She smiled, straightened her back and linked their lips.

And he pulled her against him. It made her wince a bit, because of the scraping of the fabric against the cuts, but she didn't pull back. Her arms were now around his neck, and his at her lower back.

He didn't want to take advantage of her, or to hurt her in any way, but he wanted this so badly, wanted _her_ even more than his next breath.

-YulianaHenderson-

"Bonnie, we should go back to father," Thomas began, walking into her room, but when he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Her eyes were deep red, her hair massively disheveled. His heart broke.

He rushed to her side, and took her in his arms.

"I already miss her so much, Tom, and it's been only two days. I won't survive without her; she's my everything. I can't live without her, Tom, I really can't," Grace whimpered, and Thomas nodded. He had to fight back tears of his own, but he was used to being the stronger one, especially for Grace.

He stroked her back.

"I know, Grace, but you have to be strong. It may sound mean, but Tessie isn't coming back, no matter how many tears you shed. I'm so sorry, but that's the truth."

"Why does the truth hurt so much?" Grace whispered.

Thomas kissed the top of her head.

"Because the truth is often what we dread to hear. But Tessie wouldn't want us to cry over her death. What would she say in a situation like this?"

Grace shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe something like _there are hundred princesses in this world_. I'm just one of them, why would people grieve over me? It's not like I'm that important."

Thomas laughed.

"Well that's not very positive, is it?"

Grace pulled back, her eyebrow raised.

"Was Teresa positive, then?" Thomas laughed again.

"All right, you won, Bonnie," he said, and took her in his arms again.

It was time to make Grace officially his sister. He would be empty without a sister.

-YulianaHenderson-

Why was she still tired? She'd slept for hours, days even. How was it possible that she was even tired to begin with? Now she was sleeping again in his arms.

These three miles were a lot more with a wounded woman in his arms. The muscles in his arms were hurting. She didn't weigh that much, but it was still tiring.

He pushed her up, and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"I'll watch over you, Teresa, always. And if I catch the bastard who did this to you, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands," Patrick whispered, stopping to lean against a tree for a second. He sat down against it, Teresa resting her head against his chest. He tucked some strands of hair behind her ears.

She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. She wasn't stubborn then.

"Red John will never get you again, Teresa..."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Patrick."

* * *

**A/N: Pam pam paaaam! Cliffhanger! Who could that person be? It's not Teresa, she's asleep. It's not Red John either, he's in the dungeons. Let me know who you think it is :D.  
Put that in a REVIEW, thank you very much, and see you at the next and almost last chapter!**


	8. Chapter Eight

**A/N: Ah, so _yes_, I do have an explanation for why this chapter took so long. Holidays! I was in England for two and a half weeks and I didn't have internet so I couldn't upload it, sadly. But I can now, and here I am! :D**

**A special thanks to Donnamour1969 for beta-ing not only this chapter but the entire story. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. Sadly. Otherwise the hug in 4x24 would have been longer, and it would be followed by a long and passionate kiss.**

* * *

Patrick couldn't turn around because of Teresa, so he just kept looking at her, afraid to lose her if he turned his head.

"Who are you? Present yourself."

He heard footsteps; the person was moving to stand in front of him.

He pulled Teresa even closer against him then he looked up.

A woman was standing in front of him, not that much younger than him. She had brown hair, the same brown hair as Teresa, only not as beautiful.

The woman smiled.

"So close to the castle. It would be a shame if all your hard work would be wasted, right, Patrick?"

"Who are you?" Patrick demanded.

The woman smiled again.

"Lorelei. I know you won't know me, lover."

"I'm not your lover."

"Of course not. No, I wouldn't dare compete with this beautiful princess in your arms, Your Majesty."

Patrick swallowed, looked down at Teresa, who was still sleeping, and then at Lorelei again.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm sure you already know, dear Patrick. Think about it for a second. Who is the only man who always knows where you are?" Lorelei asked, and Patrick cursed internally. Why did Red John have to send somebody now, when he was weak and vulnerable?

"Red John." Lorelei smiled, and waved her hand toward a tree, before someone stepped next to her. A big, muscular man, middle-aged. The shudders ran over Patrick's back now.

"Very good, lover. Now, do you have any idea what I'm planning now?"

"I have my suspicions, yes. Might I ask for a favor, though?"

Lorelei seemed to be caught off guard by this, but regained her composure almost immediately. Red John must've taught her, Patrick thought.

"Ask away, Patrick."

"You can kill me, but you have to let Teresa return to the castle."

Lorelei smiled at the man next to her.

"Red John already expected you might say that. Let me answer that for you: Red John wants you to suffer. The ultimate way to suffer is a slow and painful death for you, right?"

Patrick slowly nodded. He knew this day would come. He knew he wouldn't die a natural death. Red John wouldn't grant him the peaceful death in his sleep.

"Fine, wake her up," Lorelei said, and placed her hands on her hips.

Patrick closed his eyes, but then looked down at Teresa. He kissed her nose, and she awoke.

"Teresa, I want you stay calm, all right? There are two people here, and they want to talk to me. It may take a while, though, so I want you to walk forward to the castle. I'll catch up with you in a few minutes," Patrick whispered. Teresa frowned, but nodded. She stood up, and it broke Patrick's heart to see her so weak that he wanted to grab her and carry her away from these evil people, put her in his bed. He'd hold her in his arms, whisper soothing words in her ear, and make love to her. He'd never let her go.

Unfortunately, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lorelei losing her patience, so he helped Teresa to stand on her feet.

He cupped her face and joined their lips, just a small reminder of her before he wouldn't be there anymore.

"I love you Teresa. See you soon," he whispered, and released her. She frowned again, but walked away.

Patrick stared after her; he was never going to see her again. He turned toward Lorelei.

"Do it fast, please, because I just broke my promise to her."

"How sweet. The prince made a promise? What was it? That you would never leave her side again? You still have time to call her back and let her die instead of you, then we'll-"

"No! No, kill me," Patrick said, and stepped toward them. "How will you do it?"

Lorelei smiled.

"I'm not going to do it, he's going to. His name is Guy."

"Nice to meet you, Guy. How do you plan to kill me?"

Guy shrugged.

"Whatever comes to my mind first. I ain't gonna give ye mercy though, despite how hard ye beg for it. I think it's far too much fun to let it be over so fast," Guy said, his voice calm and serious. He grabbed a knife out of his unrefined belt, and looked at it with sheer admiration.

Patrick inhaled a deep breath.

"Just do it, then," Patrick said, and approached Guy.

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa stumbled through the woods. In the far distance, she could see Bertram castle, and that was her heading.

Her legs felt weak. It was like she had to learn to walk all over again since she hadn't for more than two days now.

Her legs weren't reacting as she wanted them to, but it would do. She could move toward the castle, which was all she need do. A bothersome feeling crept upon her. These people... who were they? Why would they want to talk to Patrick? Why did they let her go?

Her legs began to move faster almost automatically; she couldn't stop them. She needed to get help back to that spot in the woods. These people were probably not who they seemed, and she feared they might do Patrick harm.

-YulianaHenderson-

"Be careful, all right," Wayne said as he helped Grace onto her horse. She nodded absently.

"Don't be sad, Grace, please," Wayne pleaded, then grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She smiled faintly.

"Thank you, Wayne," she whispered, and looked at Thomas. He nodded, and they left.

Kimball and Wayne waved at them, and went back into the castle again.

-YulianaHenderson-

"What do you think happened with Patrick and Teresa?" Grace asked, and Thomas sighed.

"I don't know Grace, I really don't."

Grace groaned, and looked in front of her again. The wind was blowing her hair out of her face, but it didn't help to drive away her thoughts.

She had been thinking about Teresa. What could have happened with her? Where was she? Her butchered body haunted her dreams, and Grace was more tired than ever.

She heard a rustling in the bushes. Reflexively, she looked at Thomas.

"Did you hear that?"

"What?" Thomas asked, looking around, but he saw nothing.

"I thought I heard something," Grace said, and jumped off her horse.

"No, Grace, you can't-!"

"Tom, there's something in the bushes!" Grace exclaimed, and approached them. Thomas groaned, and stepped down to the ground too.

"Grace, watch yourself."

Grace walked into the bushes, and Thomas sighed. That girl was stubborn-too stubborn.

Thomas heard Grace gasping, and as soon as Grace had walked into the bushes, she ran out of them, and went to Thomas, grabbing his arm.

"Come!" Grace exclaimed, and pulled him with her.

When Thomas saw what Grace had seen in the bushes, his heart stopped beating for a second.

There was his big sister, dressed in only a masculine shirt and one layer of her favorite dress, heavily wounded and weak. He was with her in an instant, and his arms were around her before he could think.

"Tessie, are you okay?" he asked, and she nodded weakly. He pulled back to look at her.

"What happened? Where is Prince Patrick?" Thomas asked. Teresa raised one of her arms and pointed. Thomas looked in that direction but he didn't see anything. He turned a bit to look at Grace, and she nodded.

He placed his arms under her legs and her upper body, lifting her up.

He walked back to the horses, carefully placed Teresa on his and then climbed up on it also. He let Teresa rest against him, and when Grace had stepped on her horse too, they headed back to Bertram castle. They would send people to find Patrick, but they had Teresa back, at least.

-YulianaHenderson-

King Bertram sat in his room, looking out of the window. If Patrick were really dead, the king was all alone.

He sighed.

But then he was pulled out of his reverie by Madeleine running into his room.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but Prince Thomas and Grace are back, and it looks like they brought someone with them," she said, hurriedly, and King Bertram immediately jumped up.

When Bertram got outside, he almost fainted; against Thomas' body lay the young Princess Teresa, wounded and weak. For a moment, King Bertram forgot he was a king and had men to do his bidding. He ran to the two and grabbed Teresa, pulling her down from the horse.

He hugged her to him. Thomas stepped off his horse, and approached the maids who had also gathered outside the castle.

"Are you well, Teresa?" Bertram asked, and she nodded. The king pulled back.

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask this. Do you know where my son is?"

She closed her eyes.

"I... He... and then... he's there, somewhere," she whispered, and pointed at the woods. King Bertram nodded, and motioned to Wayne and Kimball to look for the prince. Thomas supported Teresa while they walked into the castle.

Teresa looked around and saw how Wayne, Kimball and Grace rode into the forests. She hoped they were in time, because she couldn't live without Patrick.

-YulianaHenderson-

"What are you feeling now, Patrick? Now that you're on the edge of dying? Now that you broke your promise to your princess and Red John has won?"

Patrick worked to let his eyes stay open. He saw stars, but remained conscious.

He felt his blood leaving his body faster with every breath he took, with every move he made. A severely cut dressed his neck, but not had not his an artery. It would be a slow and painful death for him.

He tried his best to look up, and saw Lorelei kneeling beside him.

"It was a pleasure to have met you, lover," she said, placing a kiss on his forehead. She left with Guy.

Patrick sank to the ground, losing consciousness…

_"No, Charlotte, don't do that, you know I don't like that. And where's Angela?" Teresa exclaimed, while she picked up Charlotte and ran to Grace. Her life was a mess, in chaos._

_Grace approached Teresa._

_"Angela is in your room. Let me help you," Grace said, reaching out her arms to take Charlotte._

_"No! No, I can do this on my own, believe me," she said, and left the Throne Hall to look for Angela._

_Two years old and the twins were already creating a fuss and a mess everywhere they went. She stopped at the big portrait of Patrick. She always did that when she walked past it. She touched his lips, remembering how they felt on hers that moment when he sent her back to the castle, the last kiss they'd ever shared._

_"I miss you, Patrick. But it's going to be just fine. I love you. Patrick. Patrick!"_

"Patrick," a woman's voice said from a considerable distance. Or, so it seemed.

Patrick opened his eyes, just enough to see Grace, and smiled faintly.

"It's going to be just fine, Patrick; stay with us," she whispered, and he nodded weakly before closing his eyes again.

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa was staring at the ceiling. What a nice ceiling.

She sighed. How could they order her to lay here in bed, get some sleep while Patrick was somewhere in the woods, probably dying.

She sat up straight, the cuts hurting as she did so. She'd procured a dress from one of the maids, since there was no princess in this castle and they didn't have a royal dress. It didn't matter to her, though. She was glad she was released from her dirty rags The dress went all the way to her feet, just like her dresses, but it only had one layer, which felt strange to her.

She got out of bed, not bothering with shoes.

She walked through the castle, and for some reason, the dungeon seemed very attractive. It illustrated her miserable life up until now; maybe she could talk with somebody there who would understand.

But as soon as she entered the dungeons, she stopped dead in her tracks; because there, in one of the cells, was he. Red John.

He smiled when he saw her.

"Ah, Teresa, I see you've came out of it well. How are you doing, my dear?" he asked. Teresa turned around, ready to leave.

"No, wait, love."

Teresa turned around, approached him and came to stand just in front of him, their faces only inches apart.

"I am not your love. If you thought I would become weak by all of this, you're wrong. I have always been strong, and this will only make me stronger. I will come out of this. You're the one who's going to be locked away for the rest of your life. When Patrick comes back, I will be happy," she hissed. He smiled.

"Of course. Are you certain that he will come back?" he asked. She frowned and nodded.

"Of course I am."

He touched her arm, and she jumped away from him.

"Why do you do this? Cause Patrick so much pain? What has he done to you?"

Red John shrugged.

"I don't think I like his face."

Teresa's eyes showed more anger than before, and she hadn't known she could ever be this angry.

"That's not the only reason."

"Of course not. He told everyone bad things about me. Before I killed his family, I was feared by everybody. Patrick changed everything when he told the kingdom that they didn't have to worry about me, and that I was nothing."

Teresa closed her eyes. Not a smart move.

"He didn't mean it."

I feel sorry to disagree with you, my fair lady. Mark my words, Teresa, he will not come back."

Without thinking about it, Teresa raised her hand and hit the man's face. He fell back, and she just shook her hand. That had felt good, actually.

"You will regret that, Teresa!" Red John exclaimed after her. Of course she wouldn't regret it. He made her and Patrick's lives a hell; she would do everything to make him suffer the same way she had.

She looked around one more time, smiled at what she'd done – the man's nose was bleeding – and left the dungeon.

-YulianaHenderson-

Teresa found Summer in the kitchens. It was one of the few times she'd ever been in a kitchen.

Summer smiled at her, then ran over to her and flung her arms around Teresa.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Teresa. I've known him for a while now and I know that he is strong. Just like you. You survived too, remember? He will too."

Teresa smiled.

"Let's go outside to walk a bit," Summer offered, and Teresa happily complied.

-YulianaHenderson-

"May I ask what you did in these days? Were you with him all this time?" Summer asked. They were sitting on the steps leading to the castle.

When Teresa didn't answer, Summer looked at her and saw the princess was blushing.

"Are you serious?" Summer exclaimed, and Teresa laughed.

"What was it like," Summer asked, turning to Teresa and folding her legs beneath her body. Teresa chuckled, but didn't say anything.

"Tell me!" Summer insisted, and Teresa awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Was it that good?" Summer teased, and Teresa smiled.

"I can say that I love him. That's all I'm going to say," she said, and saw the disappointed look in Summer's eyes. Teresa grabbed her hands, and squeezed them.

"Someday I will tell you, believe me. Not now, not when he is missing and may be dead."

Summer nodded.

"I understand."

"And I appreciate that you want me to forget about it all, if only for a moment, but every little thing reminds me of him. The cuts on my body, even if he didn't make them. Looking at the woods. This castle. King Bertram. My bed," she said, the last two words deadpan, and Summer chuckled. She reached out and hugged Teresa, and Teresa returned it.

When they pulled back, the two turned to look in front of them again.

It felt wonderful to talk with Summer about these things. She wouldn't tell most people, for it was nobody's business. And Teresa was quite sure Grace wouldn't want to know about it either. But Summer seemed to be genuinely interested in what had happened.

When Teresa could make out the outlines of three horses, she jumped up and was off quickly, despite her wounds.

Grace and Kimball were both sitting on their own horses, but Patrick was lying against Wayne, the same way she had lain against her brother. He was awake, but barely. When he turned his head around to look at Grace, Teresa saw why he was so weak: an enormous slash covered his graceful neck. Teresa felt like collapsing then and there, with the desire to give up her heart and blood so that Patrick might live.

Everything began to happen very quickly. Before Teresa knew it, everyone was doing their best to help Prince Patrick survive. She quickly stole a kiss from him, before it became too overwhelming and she went back inside the castle.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick came back from a dreamless slumber, but didn't open his eyes, felt too tired to do so. He felt around himself and found he was in a soft, comfortable bed.

He felt delicate fingers tickling his, soft lips on his own, and he immediately knew whose they were. It was as if he'd suddenly gotten his life back, as if he wasn't tired at all, as if he could breathe and face the whole world again. He cupped her face, pulled her against him, and deepened the kiss.

He felt Teresa's tears on his face and pulled back.

"Don't cry; I'm here," he whispered. She laughed faintly.

"That's the thing. I've never been so happy to seeing someone again," she replied, whispering against his mouth. He wiped away her tears and kissed her nose.

"I'm happy to see you too, my love," he whispered. He grabbed her arms gently and rolled them over so her was laying on top of her. They were both suffering from their wounds, but suddenly neither of them minded so much.

She couldn't seem to stop crying though, all the adrenaline and emotions of the past days leaving her in the form of tears, so he rolled to his side and gathered her in his arms.

"I'm here, Teresa. I've got you, and I'm never letting you go," he whispered against the top of her head.

-YulianaHenderson-

Patrick looked into Teresa's eyes. Those eyes. He would never get tired of them. A whole story was told by them.

She smiled, and he melted.

"Prince Patrick, Princess Teresa, you can enter the Throne Hall now," Madeleine said, and they did. When they entered, everybody went silent for a moment before standing up and applauding for them.

Teresa grabbed hold of Patrick hand. He smiled.

"I'm not going anywhere, Teresa, I promise," he whispered.

The two sat down at the table where the two royal families had gathered, Teresa on one side, Patrick on the other. This way they could look at each other.

Patrick felt a probing finger in his side. He moved to the person who'd done it – his father – but never left Teresa's eyes.

"When do you want to have the wedding?" King Bertram asked, and Patrick's eyes widened.

He rose and went to the other side of the table. There, he knelt down before Teresa.

"Because of all this commotion I haven't had the chance to do this. I've forgotten the ring, but my hands will serve that purpose," he said, taking her hands.

"I want you to be with me for the rest of my life, Teresa. You are everything to me. I didn't know I would feel like this before I met you, but you stole my heart, and I still haven't figured where you've hidden it. You calmed the storm in my head and heart, the storm that wouldn't stop raging and destroying everything happy in my life. You are the woman I want to be with until death and beyond. I will love you, forever and ever. Will you please be my wife, Teresa?"

Teresa stared at him. While Patrick was quite sure she loved him back, her hesitation to answer him made him very nervous. Then she flung her arms around his neck. She could only nod in reply.

Patrick lifted her, and everybody clapped. All he could see was Teresa, the most beautiful woman in the world who was going to be his wife and his queen.

He had finally found peace with Angela and Charlotte's deaths. Even they had told him that Teresa was his purpose now, and that he needed to move on.

And so he would, with this beautiful woman, for the rest of his happy life.

* * *

**A/N: Ah, a happy sappy ending, but there's more, my friends! There's an epilogue to this amazing story! (Ahum) Just a wrap-up, with Patrick and Teresa being together and having kids and all. Hope you want to read it!**

**Let me know what you think in a REVIEW, thank you!**


	9. Chapter Nine: The Epilogue

**A/N: No angst in this chapter, I promise! Just for me to wrap it up. I always want Jane and Lisbon to be happy at the end of each story so this was just necessary. They were already happy, but with children happy, I mean xD.**

**Thanks a LOT to Donnamour1969 for beta-ing this entire story. I owe your reviews to her, I think. Don't shy from checking out her awesome stories!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. *insert sad face here***

* * *

"Charlotte, take that out of your mouth, please," Teresa pleaded. The girl just stared at her mother and kept on sucking on something she'd found in the kitchen. Teresa groaned and picked up her daughter.

"Summer! What did I tell you about leaving these things where the children can reach it? If you don't look where they're going, they might be choking on them one day," Teresa exclaimed. The girl ran into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Teresa," she said, and quickly put all the tiny _little children could easily choke in these things _on the counter.

Teresa smiled at Summer then at Charlotte, and left the kitchen.

"Where's Angela?" Teresa asked Charlotte. The girl just stared at Teresa again, and Teresa stroked her little cheeks.

"I sometimes forget you're still only one," she whispered, and Charlotte laughed.

In an instant, Teresa heard a similar laugh and recognized where it had come from. She walked into the Throne Hall and saw Angela was climbing the middle Throne.

"Oh, no, Angela, don't do that!" Teresa exclaimed, and approached her. She pulled Angela from the Throne, and the girl looked at both Charlotte and Teresa, then began to laugh.

Teresa smiled.

"I should really tie you two to a chair someday. I can't even peacefully walk around the garden without having to look for you two afterwards," she said, touching both girls' noses and the two began to giggle.

"And I should really tie _you_ to a chair. That way you can relax a bit," a familiar voice said, and Teresa turned around.

The girls' eyes lit up, and Charlotte moved to get away from Teresa's embrace. Teresa smiled at Patrick.

"You really wouldn't dare. Not after what happened last time you did that," she stated, and Patrick laughed at the memory.

"Oh yes, forgot about that one. But, how are my favorite princesses doing?"

At that point, Charlotte had reached Patrick, and he picked her up. Charlotte began playing with Patrick's curls.

"You have the same curls, Lottie, you don't have to play with mine," Patrick whispered, and Charlotte smiled.

Teresa had picked up Angela in the meantime, and was standing next to Patrick. She kissed him.

"I'm sorry I haven't been here a lot the past days. My father wants everything to be ready for the coronation."

"I thought it was finished. What else does there need to be? A bigger throne for you because you're getting fatter every day?"

Patrick gasped.

"How could you! No, I thought more of a bigger throne for _you_," he said teasingly, and she hit his arm with her free hand.

"Just because I'm with child doesn't mean I need a bigger throne. You should mind your words, Prince Arrogance," she said, and was ready to leave the Throne Hall, when Patrick grabbed her arm and made her turn around. The look on his face was serious, so they both put down the kids and they continued their journey through the castle. They didn't know everything yet, and they would be years older when they finally did. Teresa quickly walked into the hall, called Summer's name, and returned to Patrick again.

Teresa's eyes focused back on Patrick. He took her in his arms.

"What's wrong?" Teresa asked immediately. He shook his head.

"Nothing. I just wanted to hold you," he whispered in her ear. She smiled.

"Well, I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere because I need you. For the children, of course."

Patrick pulled away.

"Of course. Sarcasm doesn't suit you well, Teresa."

"What suits me better then?"

Patrick knelt down and kissed her stomach. It wasn't that big yet, but you could easily spot it if you focused enough.

"This little human."

"Oh, so I'm not special on my own? Only if I'm carrying your child and-"

Patrick silenced her with a kiss. When he pulled back, he was smiling.

"You know I don't think that, Teresa."

"Oh? Well, show me then, Prince," Teresa said, and Patrick crushed his lips down on hers again. Her hands were at his neck in an instant. With one hand he cupped her face, and with the other he pulled her against him.

The two were melted into each other, so they hadn't noticed someone enter the Throne Hall until they felt arms around them. They pulled away, and saw Thomas, James, Michael and Grace standing there. Teresa immediately blushed when she realized they had been watching them kiss, but Patrick grabbed her hand.

"Hello, brothers and sister-in-law! How are you on this fine day?" Patrick asked, and the four rolled their eyes.

Grace hugged Teresa, while the boys came to stand in front of Patrick.

"How are you doing?" Grace asked, and Teresa smiled. She looked down at her stomach, and Grace gasped.

"Really? That's wonderful!" she said, and hugged her friend again.

"What's wrong?" James asked, approaching Teresa. She just smiled from ear to ear, and James knew enough.

"Congratulations, Little Sister," he said, and hugged her.

The whole family joined them, and Patrick stood outside the group. He turned around and left the Throne Hall. The family hadn't seen each other for a few months, and they had a lot to catch up on.

When Patrick walked around the corner, he could quickly recognize two small legs crawling around the corner, followed by two loud chuckles.

Patrick smiled.

"Are there any naughty princesses present here?" Patrick asked, and the little ones chuckled. He walked around the corner, for some reason relieved they were still there, and picked them both up. The twins began to play with each other's hair.

Patrick smiled. He started to walk, and when he reached the stairs to the dungeons-carefully blocked for curious two-year-olds who loved to explore the castle-he got a strange shiver running all over his body, and the princesses were quiet immediately.

Charlotte pointed at the door.  
"Do you want to go inside, Lottie?" Patrick asked, and Charlotte nodded.

Patrick shook his head. "I can't take you there, Charlotte."

The girl pouted. Patrick placed a small kiss on the girl's lips, and also on Angela's who was already feeling left out, and then exclaimed Summer's name in the same way Teresa had done. The girl came hurrying to the place where her name was yelled, smiled at Patrick and then took the girls with her.

Patrick turned towards the door, and took in a deep breath. He knew who was still in their dungeons.

His father had asked him many times if they needed to execute Red John. Patrick and Teresa had discussed it many times, but always ended on the same thing: Red John should be brought to justice, but they wouldn't do it. Justice would find him. Red John would be punished and they wanted him to suffer longer than he suffered if they sentenced him to death.

Patrick had never visited the man, though. Patrick had made peace with his own past, but he could never forgive what Red John had done to his family, Teresa and himself.

But for a reason he couldn't exactly put into words, he wanted Red John to see him now. He would show Red John how happy he was, despite everything he'd done to him.

"Look who came to visit me! His Royal Highness himself!" the despicable man said. "What took you so long?"

Patrick sighed silently, before he lifted his hand, where Teresa's wedding ring was prideful around his ring finger. The man smiled faintly, impressed.

"That's nice. How are you sure she will stay with you-"

"She loves me. And because we have two beautiful children."

Red John was silent for a while. "You do?"  
"We do. Angela and Charlotte," Patrick said, proudly, and Red John smiled in sheer wonder.

"Well that's nice, Patrick. Do you think the first Angela and Charlotte can appreciate that you named your new children after them?"  
Patrick nodded, much to Red John's displeasure.

"It wasn't my idea. It was Teresa's. She told me that without them, without _you_, I wouldn't be the man I am right now. And she wouldn't have fallen in love with me," Patrick said.

Red John laughed. "You really think she loves you?" he asked. Patrick approached Red John, their faces almost touching.

"That kind of talk doesn't work for me. It might have worked with Lorelei, or maybe even with Teresa, but you won't get to me. If Teresa didn't love me, she would've left me when I returned from that forest. But she didn't. She decided she wanted to spend her life with me, with the children we were expecting and with everything that accompanied that life. She's a princess herself; she is used to a courtly life. As for our children: they are the perfect mixture of me and Teresa. Blonde hair, like me, and the green eyes from Teresa. I have green eyes too, but hers are just more beautiful. Just magnificent. Did you know that Teresa and I are expecting another child soon? Oh, what a pity you won't be seeing that child."

"And why is that?"

"Because Teresa and I are soon to be crowned King and Queen, for which we get our own castle. You'll stay here. My father will retire to a peaceful life in a little house in the forest. I haven't the slightest idea who will take over this castle, but I don't believe that person will be so generous with you as we are. I wish you the best of luck, _Red John_, you'll be needing it," Patrick said. He turned around and left the dungeon. Red John was silenced, and Patrick was happy.

Walking through the halls of the castle was emotional. It was the one he grew up in and was soon going to leave, but the pieces had come together bit by bit.

He saw that Summer and Sir Kimball were kissing in one room, Sir Wayne and Grace in the other. All four of them had forgotten about closing the doors; they thought nobody would see them, he was sure of that.

King Minelli had arrived too, if only to see his only daughter again. James was talking with his father, and Patrick could faintly hear the words _coronation_ and _king_. Patrick was sure that wasn't about him and Teresa's coronation.

Thomas and Michael were awkwardly sitting in the kitchen, but there were smiles on their faces. Their time would come eventually. They were still young, and women were lined up at royal balls to dance with them.

Angela and Charlotte came crawling behind Patrick, left alone by Summer who was occupied with other things. Patrick lifted the girls, who both wrapped their arms around Patrick's neck.

At the end of the hall stood Teresa, her hands on her belly. All four of them smiled. When Patrick stood toe-to-toe with her, he gave her Charlotte, his precious Charlotte. He didn't dare to admit it, but Charlotte was his favorite of the two. He would get to see her grow up, unlike his first Charlotte. This time was special because he knew that this Charlotte, and this Angela, would get everything they needed to stay alive until they were old. They would become beautiful teenagers, young adults, queens. They would have to fight over who became the next queen in line of their kingdom. Patrick hoped with all his might that their unborn baby would be a boy. He would gladly make him the heir to the Throne, even if Teresa didn't want that.

He breathed against her full and delicious lips.

"I love you, Teresa," he whispered, and she straightened her back and kissed him.

The twin was squirming in their arms, laughing loudly, but for once, Teresa and Patrick didn't pay attention to the two, only to each other.

"And I love you, Patrick," she replied when they broke their kiss.

Charlotte pulled Teresa's hair, pulling her face away from Patrick's, and Teresa laughed.

"Let our next one be a bit more like me. I don't want another little Patrick running around here," Teresa exclaimed, and Patrick gasped.

Teresa walked away, and Patrick followed her, like a good dog obeying his master. She chuckled when he tickled her side.

"You take that back, you little minx!"

* * *

**A/N: SO! That was this story! Did you like it?**

**Thanks to:**

**YuukiCross5****, ****Little-Firestar84****, ****Lothlorien Aeterna****, ****Mione Ootori****, ****Loes-chan****, ****Rothelena**** (OMIGOD SHE REVIEWED ON A STORY OF ME *SHRIEK*), ****AngryLittlePrincess****, ****Shane-jisbon**** and all the guest reviewers of course! You all made the work so much worth it, they were like Jane smiles, they pulled me through everything. I love you all so much! And don't stop reviewing after this story, there are still a bunch of stories out there from me that you can read! ;)**

**Thanks to all of you! 'So long and thanks for all the red snapper'!**


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